You don't need to win a race to win the Endurance Cup title. AF Corse proved as much in 2024, and Rutronik Racing pulled off the same trick in 2025. This year, Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter could make it three in a row.
But the #48 line-up of Maro Engel, Lucas Auer and Luca Stolz could achieve something even more special: should they secure the drivers' crown this weekend at the Nürburgring, they will become the first crew to claim the title with a round to spare.
Their results thus far have been remarkably consistent: P2 at Circuit Paul Ricard, P2 at Monza and – you guessed it – P2 at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. They added even more points at the Belgian classic by placing third at the six-hour mark and fourth at half distance. Reflecting on the event a few weeks later, Auer was immensely proud of the Winward Racing squad that runs the Team Mann-Filter entry.
"It was really the cleanest 24-hour race I ever had," said Auer, who is chasing his maiden Endurance Cup title alongside 2018 champions Engel and Stolz. "I can only congratulate the team and thank them for their performance.
"We were very good on strategies, pit stops, and driving," he continued. "In the end we saw the real pace and we were not really in the fight, but we still managed P2, which was amazing. It could very easily have been P7.
"It was so tough to overtake and track position was key. At this point everybody knows Winward; there's no introduction needed. They did a stellar job at an incredible level, really incredible."
Fast forward to the Nürburgring and the #48 crew arrives with a substantial lead of 41 points over the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin line-up of Thiim/Sørensen/Drudi. There are five other crews in the mix, but the objective is quite simple: should the #48 finish fourth or better on Sunday, Engel/Auer/Stolz will be champions.
They can win the title by finishing lower – they could even win it without scoring a point – though this will require other results to go their way. In any case, Auer isn't taking anything for granted after missing out on last year's Endurance crown to Rutronik in a dramatic final round.
"Last year was a rollercoaster, but this is sport sometimes," said the Austrian. "We didn't do it any differently last year, but the learning is that you keep on pushing.
"We are all experienced enough to know when to take risks and when to not," he continued. "At the end, we go to Nürburgring to enjoy, push to the maximum, and then we see the result. In motorsport, it's over when it's over. Before that, it's not clever to speak too much, but for sure we are in a great position."
A longstanding AMG factory driver, Auer has won plenty of races during his career. But would he feel strange to clinch this title without standing on the top step of the podium?
"To be honest, it doesn't matter," he said. "For me, a championship is won by consistency; obviously speed, but also consistency. You want to win if it's possible, but what matters is that you're on top at the end. Personally, I don't remember all the single race results of all the champions, but I remember who was the champion."
Tickets for this weekend's event are available now; click here for more information. There is also extensive live streaming on the GT World YouTube channel, starting at 10:50 on Saturday with Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 at 16:15. This is followed on Sunday by Qualifying at 09:45 and the main event at 15:00. Click here to watch live.