ENTRY LIST: MONZA
GT World World Challenge powered by AWS heads to Monza next weekend (29-31 May) for one of the biggest events of the season. A 57-car field representing 10 manufacturers will tackle a three-hour Endurance Cup race at the Temple of Speed, while a further 80 cars from three high-level GT series will ensure non-stop action on the circuit. Fans can also look forward to a packed itinerary that includes an open paddock, music, and much more entertainment.
Monza simply must be seen in person. Located within the largest walled park in Europe, it is a setting befitting of this legendary race track – and the perfect place to get the full GT World experience. Here's what's in prospect for the third round of the 2026 campaign.
BATTLE RESUMES BETWEEN EARLY-SEASON STARS
The Endurance Cup season began with a bang at Circuit Paul Ricard. Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter dominated the six-hour race, but missed out on victory after a late charge from Comtoyou Racing's #7 Aston Martin. Both will be aiming for at least a podium at Monza.
BMW has often run well at the Italian venue and will also be looking forward to the event. The #32 Team WRT and #98 ROWE Racing entries should be victory contenders, while Valentino Rossi will hope to triumph on home soil in the #46 Team WRT machine.
And you'd also be wise to keep an eye on the #59 Garage 59 McLaren. Runner-up last year and often a contender at this track, the British squad will try to repeat the victory it scored at Monza in 2016.
TOP-TIER SQUADS AIMING FOR QUICK COMEBACK
For the most part, the expected title contenders put points on the board at Paul Ricard. But there were a handful of noteworthy exceptions, all of whom will be keen to rebound at Monza
The most obvious is AF Corse, which fell outside the top 10 over the course of the race. In particular, the #51 Ferrari – which includes Italian stars Alessio Rovera and Tommaso Mosca alongside Nicklas Nielsen – has the firepower to contend for a home win.
Porsche also missed out on points at the opener. But that wasn't for a lack of pace: the Lionspeed GP entry was a firm contender before technical problems forced it out, while Boutsen VDS also has the potential to fight at the front.
The #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin has even more reason to hope for a smooth run at Monza. A crash during the Prologue prevented the German squad from racing at Circuit Paul Ricard, so there's plenty of motivation to post a strong result in Italy.
GARAGE 59 STILL THE TEAM TO BEAT IN GOLD
Garage 59 has two straight Gold Cup wins – the final race of 2025 and the first of 2026 – finishing both on the overall podium. As such, it's fair to say that the McLaren crew of Benji Goethe, Tom Fleming and Louis Prette are favourites for more glory at Monza.
But don't count out a new winner emerging. There were two more Gold cars in the top 10 at Paul Ricard, with CSA Racing placing eighth and ROWE Racing in P10. The Selected Car Racing Ferrari was also very fast at Paul Ricard, so watch out for this all-Danish crew.
Finally, there will be plenty of support for the #9 Boutsen VDS Porsche. The car was eliminated before reaching Turn 1 at Paul Ricard and didn't get much further in the Sprint Cup opener at Brands Hatch, suffering heavy accidents on both occasions. No one would begrudge the Belgian squad a good finish at Monza.
EXTRA SIGNIFICANCE FOR SILVER WINNER
Here's something to keep in mind: five of the previous six Silver Cup winners at Monza have gone on to clinch the class title. So, who's staking their claim this weekend?
Pure Rxcing won at Paul Ricard with its Porsche, edging the Team WRT BMW, and both were also fast in the Sprint Cup opener. McLaren should also be a front-runner and has four bullets in the chamber, with cars entered by Optimum Motorsport, Team RJN, Greystone GT and CSA Racing.
There are two chances of an Italian squad winning at Monza courtesy of the #52 AF Corse Ferrari and the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche. The latter has two overall wins at this event (2019 & 2021) so know how to get the job done at the Temple of Speed.
ALL EYES ON RUTRONIK IN BRONZE
Rutronik Racing is on a stellar run of form. The German squad won the final race of 2025, took the opener at Circuit Paul Ricard, and is the defending winner at Monza. Clearly, then, the #97 Porsche is the car to watch this weekend, when Antares Au and Ricardo Pera will be joined by Sven Müller.
But with 17 cars on the grid this will be anything but a walk in the park. Winward Racing and Paradine Competition were on the podium at Paul Ricard and can both be serious contenders for the win. It's also worth keeping an eye on Oman Racing by Century Motorsport. The Century squad took Silver Cup honours at this race last year, while Oman Racing representative Ahmad Al Harthy took an historic overall win at Monza in 2024 (below).
There's an extra car on the Bronze Cup grid this weekend courtesy of 75 Racing. Having missed the opener, the Aussie squad makes its series debut with Kenny Habul, Dominik Baumann and Hadrien David.
PACKED WEEKEND OF GT RACING IN STORE
Monza is a circuit that simply must be experienced in person. Located within the largest walled park in Europe, it is a special setting for a world-class racing facility – and the perfect place to get the full GT World experience.
All Monza tickets include entry to the paddock, allowing the public to fully appreciate the event from the inside. There's also a dedicated Fan Zone with live music from a DJ, food and drinks stands, big screens to follow the action, and an area for kids. What’s more, a special Photo Corner will allow spectators to snap a selfie and share it on social media.
The event also includes driver autograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday, as well as supercars and plenty of merchandise stalls. Tickets start at just 20€ while a full weekend pass – which will allow you to watch almost nine hours of racing – costs 40€. Support comes from McLaren Trophy Europe, the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, and the GT4 European Series. Click here for tickets.
Monza follows the standard Endurance Cup weekend format. It begins on Thursday 28 May with the Bronze Test (15:45) and then a two-hour Paid Test at 16:00 on Friday. Saturday brings Free Practice 1 at 09:00 and Free Practice 2 at 14:25, both lasting 90 minutes. It gets serious on Sunday with Qualifying at 09:50 and the 3 Hours of Monza at 15:30, both of which will air live on the GT World YouTube channel. Click here for more info.
