• Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and Lionspeed Porsche share the spoils
• Full schedule of fan activities includes four pit walks and open podium celebrations
• Packed support race line-up caps memorable weekend
Magny-Cours welcomed another fantastic crowd this weekend as its annual festival of motorsport brought more than 27,000 spectators to the French venue. They enjoyed a non-stop schedule of track action, headlined by the GT World Challenge powered by AWS Sprint Cup, as well as plenty of activities in the paddock and beyond.
This year's attendance represents an increase of almost six thousand compared with 2025, while the grid also set a new record as 44 cars tackled both 60-minute races. This is the most ever seen at a Sprint Cup event and helped to produce two highly competitive races on the challenging 4.4km circuit.
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing claimed a breakthrough GT World Challenge victory in Saturday night's opening contest. Jules Gounon bolted away from pole and handed to Dani Juncadella to complete the job, beating the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin and the #50 AF Corse Ferrari to the top step of the podium. Ahead of this race, a fire truck was stationed at the head of the grid to recognise the brave work of firefighters currently tackling blazes across France.
While the Verstappen Racing crew took a lights-to-flag win, Sunday's second contest was a more complicated affair which included a red flag interruption. Ultimately, a sensational pit stop from Lionspeed GP made the difference and allowed the #80 Porsche of Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus to seal the win – and make significant gains in the fight for the Sprint Cup title.
Each of the Race 2 podium finishers had something to celebrate. Runner-up spot went to the #30 Team WRT BMW of Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro, who both secured career-best finishes and put one hand on the Silver Cup title. In third, Rutronik Racing gave the Lamborghini Temerario its maiden GT World Challenge podium with a fine drive from Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler.
While the #30 BMW swept the Silver Cup class, honours were shared in the Gold Cup. Boutsen VDS triumphed on Saturday with its Porsche, earning the Belgian team a first win since the passing of its patron Marc van der Straten, while McLaren squad CSA Racing won at home on Sunday. The Bronze Cup also produced a pair of winners as Winward Racing took Race 1 with its Mercedes-AMG and Paradine Competition triumphed with BMW in Race 2.
Off the circuit, fans were treated to no fewer than four pit walks during the weekend, including a pit and track walk after Saturday's sunset race. They were also invited to join the podium festivities, bringing the public closer than ever to the drivers as they sprayed the celebratory champagne. Other activations included autograph sessions, food and drinks stalls, simulators, and merchandise.
Fans were also treated to a wealth of track action as the FFSA French GT, TC and F4 Championships shared top billing at Magny-Cours. Léo Jousset was among the winners in FFSA French GT, bolstering the youngster's bid to succeed Gaspard Simon as winner of the SRO GT Academy and graduate to GT World Challenge in the future. Porsche Carrera Cup France and MitJet Trophy France were also on track, bringing the weekend total to a remarkable 17 races.
GT World Challenge powered by AWS now takes a four-week summer break before returning to action with an Endurance Cup race at the Nürburgring on 28–30 August. The German round will also welcome a busy support line-up that includes Lamborghini Super Trofeo, the GT3 Revival Series, and Mazda MX-5 Cup Benelux. For more information on tickets, please click here.