The new season is finally underway after Circuit Paul Ricard staged the opener last Saturday evening (11 April). From the drama of the start to a grandstand finish shortly before midnight, this was the archetypal GT World Challenge race. Here are nine things you may have missed from the first competitive outing of 2026.

Aston Martin is a major force once again

After a long spell in which its efforts were largely focussed on class honours, Aston Martin has reestablished itself as a big player in recent years. Saturday night's win was its third in the Endurance Cup, the previous coming at the 2024 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with the same combination of team (Comtoyou Racing) and drivers (Thiim/Sørensen/Drudi). Aston now has as many Endurance wins as Bentley, though it is a long way from matching BMW's record tally of 13 wins.

Nicki Thiim bagged some new footwear

Nicki Thiim posted the fastest lap of Saturday's race (a 1m54.737s, if you were wondering) as he hunted down and passed Lucas Auer's Mercedes-AMG. In doing so the Dane not only secured the win, he also earned a box-fresh pair of sneakers which will be fully customised by designer Hugo Lassalle. This is a new project for 2026 and will continue throughout the season.

The #59 McLaren was a potential winner

The #59 Garage 59 McLaren probably had the speed to win this race. The car went off at turn 1 following contact with the #7 Aston Martin and fell to the rear of the field. When racing resumed Dean MacDonald was 47th. Over the next five hours it made rapid progress up the leaderboard and was fifth when the second safety car period began. This was done entirely on pace, with Joseph Loake and Marvin Kirchhöfer also showing top form. Without the early drama, this car would have been a serious contender for the win.

The usual suspects set the pace

Okay, so you probably didn't miss this one, but we have the data to confirm it. Based on the average of each driver's 20 best lap times, Maro Engel was the quickest man at Circuit Paul Ricard, taking full advantage of clean air as he pulled clear of the pack. Nicki Thiim was second best followed by a trio of young McLaren drivers: Tom Fleming, Joseph Loake and Benji Goethe. The only unexpected name in the top-10 was Riccardo Pera. He was the fastest Porsche driver – a major achievement in itself – as he steered the Rutronik Racing entry to Bronze Cup victory.

The GT rookie was fast, too

The result didn't show it, but Lance Stroll acquitted himself very well on Saturday. The Canadian was 24th on the 20-lap average and 12th on a 10-lap scale, stacking up very well against Aston Martin's top factory drivers. The average is an imperfect way to assess performance, especially in a six-hour race where temperatures change considerably. Nevertheless, it offers an interesting snapshot and suggests Stroll was very much on the pace. It would be fascinating to see how he built on this experience in a second outing.

It was a tough start for the Italian brands

Circuit Paul Ricard presented a difficult start to the season for both Ferrari and Lamborghini. The Prancing Horse looked reasonably competitive over a lap but faded in the race, ultimately finishing outside the top 10. It was an even more difficult weekend for Lamborghini, which gave the new Temerario GT3 its European debut. TGI Team by GRT and Rutronik Racing both struggled for speed, though the former did complete all six hours with relatively few issues. Both brands will hope for better on home soil when the Endurance season continues at Monza

McLaren was the Gold standard

For a display of total dominance, look no further than the Gold Cup. The #58 Garage 59 McLaren was never troubled for the win and finished a superb P3 overall, while second in class and P8 overall went to the #111 CSA Racing McLaren. Only the #998 ROWE Racing BMW in third prevented a McLaren podium sweep. Circuit Paul Ricard is clearly a very happy hunting ground for the British manufacturer.

The Silver Cup was predictably unpredictable

It is rare that the Silver Cup result is settled early, and that was very much the case at Circuit Paul Ricard. There were several strong contenders: the #65 HRT Ford led from the first hour until half-distance, while the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin and the #30 Team WRT BMW also had spells at the front. Ultimately, Pure Rxcing emerged as the winner. The #9 Porsche was consistently among the top five, though it did not lead its class until the final 30 minutes.

Back-to-back in Bronze

Can you call it back-to-back wins when the races are staged six months apart? We're saying yes. Having taken the final round of 2025, Rutronik Racing picked up where it left off with a commanding Bronze Cup victory at Circuit Paul Ricard. Winward Racing also started strongly, running slightly off sequence during the second half of the race en route to a P2 finish. Defending champions Kessel Racing were surprisingly absent from the lead battle, though the #74 Ferrari scored solid points in P5. Finally, it's worth noting that the Bronze-rated driver with the best 20-lap average was Ahmad Al-Harthy aboard the Oman Racing by Century Motorsport BMW.

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Nine things you might have missed from Circuit Paul Ricard