The GT World Challenge powered by AWS season resumed last weekend when the Nürburgring hosted its annual three-hour race.
We knew heading into the event that it could be decisive, with Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter on the cusp of sealing the title with a round to spare. For much of Sunday this didn't seem likely: Comtoyou Racing was in dominant form with its Aston Martin, while the #48 Mercedes-AMG was fighting to stay among the lead group.
But, as is so often the case in this series, the final hour changed the story considerably. Team Mann-Filter did just enough to put the title beyond doubt, while there were also champions crowned in Silver and Bronze. Here are seven things you might have missed from the Nürburgring weekend.
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WINWARD IS THE FIRST TEAM TO WIN THIS TITLE EARLY
The GT World Challenge Endurance Cup title is among the biggest prizes in global sportscar racing. The series was established in 2011, but never before had it been clinched with a round to spare.
Even more remarkably, the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter crew achieved this feat without winning a race – they finished second at Paul Ricard, Monza and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa before taking a decisive P4 on Sunday. It's interesting to note that even in seasons when a car has won twice, the title has still gone to the finale.
Of course, the #48 could yet win at Portimão; but, if they don't, it will be the third consecutive season in which the Endurance title is won without a race victory. You have to go back to Akkodis ASP in 2023 for an Endurance Cup title winner actually winning a race!
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COMTOYOU COULD STILL TAKE THE TEAMS TITLE
It's a long shot, but Comtoyou Racing might still win an Endurance Cup title this year. Though the drivers' championship has been settled, the teams' crown is within reach – just. For this to happen, the Aston Martin squad would need to win from pole at Portimão with Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter scoring no points.
So it's a very long shot, but this has nevertheless been a highly impressive campaign from the #7 line-up of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi. Winning two Endurance Cup races in the same season is no mean feat: it's only happened twice in the past decade, and both of those teams – Grasser in 2017 and Akkodis ASP in 2023 – went on to win the title.
In the end, they did everything they could by taking race victory at the Nürburgring and are unfortunate not to have at least a shot at the drivers' title. If the #7 crew is still in place next season, they will start among the absolute favourites.
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THE FORD MUSTANG IS AT HOME AT THE NÜRBURGRING
For the second year in a row, the HRT-run Ford Mustangs gave their best performance of the season at the Nürburgring. They didn't qualify especially well, but on race pace both cars were a real threat. The Pro entry came home sixth, staying with the established front-runners and matching the same result it secured last year.
The Silver Cup crew of Eduardo Coseteng, Nicolas Baert and Niklas Kalus did even better. It was clear by the second hour that they had a very quick car and they took full advantage, with series debutant Kalas chasing down and passing the #30 Team WRT BMW to secure the win. This was the first class triumph for the Mustang, and it's no surprise that it came at the 'Ring.
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GOLD WILL BE THE CLOSEST TITLE FIGHT AT PORTIMAO
The Gold Cup will be the closest Endurance title fight at Portimao, with jut three points between first and second. For a while, the situation looked quite different. The #58 Garage 59 McLaren led from class pole and was set to extend its points advanatge, but contact at the start ultimately forced the British squad to retire with transmission problems.
This paved the way for a fantastic battle for the win, which saw Tresor Attempto Racing defeat Boutsen VDS during the final hour. However, neither of these teams is in the title fight. The new championship leader is ROWE Racing, which finished P4 in class with its #998 BMW. They lead Garage 59 by three ahead of Portimao.
Two more crews remain in the hunt. Selected Car Racing has quietly built a championship assault, the #71 Ferrari lying only 11 off top spot after finishing P3 at the Nürburgring. CSA Racing is an outide bet, with 25 points separating the French outfit from ROWE.
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WRT IS BUILDING A HISTORIC SILVER SEASON
The #30 Team WRT BMW finished as Silver Cup runner-up at the Nürburgring, which was enough to seal the Endurance title for Matisse Lismont, Ignacio Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel. It is unlikely to be the last championship trophy they earn this season, with Lismont and Montenegro on course to add the Sprint and combined GT World Challenge titles.
Indeed, it is more likely than not that both will be won in the penultimate event at Zandvoort. As such, we could see all three Silver titles decided with a round to spare – or two rounds, in the case of the combined championship.
It's a mark of just how dominant the #30 BMW has been the term. Indeed, from 10 races across Sprint and Endurance the car has scored nine podium finishes, four of which have been wins. Most would agree that the Silver Cup is more competitive than ever this year, with around 16 cars in Endurance and 12 in Sprint. As such, podiums don't come easy.
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THE BRONZE TITLE FIGHT REQUIRES SOME EXPLANATION
Looking at the drivers' standings, you might think that the Bronze Cup Endurance title has already been decided in favour of Dennis Marschall – but it hasn't. The de facto leader is actually his co-driver, Dustin Blattner. We'll explain...
The Kessel Racing duo shared the #74 Ferrari at the first three Endurance Cup rounds, but Blattner was unable to compete at the Nürburgring. He was replaced by Constantin Dressler and the car finished third, scoring 15 points. This put Marschall out of reach of anyone expect for Blattner, with whom we anticipate he'll share a car at Portimao.
But, as a professional driver (rated Platinum or Gold), Marschall is not able to win the Bronze Cup title alone. As such, the battle at Portimao will be between Blattner and the Paradine Competition duo of Darren Leung and James Kellet, with 16 points separating first from second. One thing is certain though: Kessel has already wrapped up the teams' title.
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BEN DÖRR BROKE THE QUALIFYING TRACK RECORD
Ben Dörr was fast at the Nürburgring. Very fast. In fact, the Team RJN driver set the fastest qualifying lap since GT World Challenge first visited the track in 2012. His time of 1m53.070s in Q3 beat the previous record (held by Maro Engel) by 0.051s.
This is the first time in 2026 that a qualifying lap record has been broken. It continues an impressive campaign from 21-year-old Dörr, who was among the stars of the race at Monza and has also been successful in other series. His one-lap pace at the Nürburgring is further proof that the German has a big career ahead of him.
