With just two rounds remaining, the GT World Challenge powered by AWS Sprint Cup is finely poised. Five crews retain a serious shot at the title ahead of this weekend's event at Zandvoort; and, with less than 10 points between them, it is no exaggeration to say that any of this group could take the crown.
The big question heading into Zandvoort is whether defending champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW) will still lead once the weekend is over. They were riding high after Misano, but a tough Magny-Cours reduced their margin to just 2.5 points over Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus (#80 Lionspeed GP Porsche).
Normal service should be resumed at Zandvoort, a track where Weerts and Van der Linde won last year (above). However, they will have to serve a three-place grid penalty – the consequence of Van der Linde clashing with Ben Green's Ferrari at Magny-Cours – so those famously fast WRT pit stops will be more crucial than ever.
Buus and Feller have been feast or famine: the #80 Porsche has two wins, a P2, and three finishes outside the points. But this is a very quick pairing, and the Lionspeed pit stops have been a match for WRT this year. A little more consistency could make them champions.
Dani Juncadella sits third for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing after winning Race 1 at Magny-Cours alongside Jules Gounon. This weekend, he reunites with regular teammate Chris Lulham, who qualified on the front row at Zandvoort last year. Dani loves the track – he won the legendary Masters of F3 race in 2012 – so keep an eye on this car.
AF Corse is fourth with the #50 Ferrari duo of Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer. At the time of writing Neubauer is still on the entry list, though a recent cycling injury has placed his participation in doubt. Given the depth of Ferrari's driver pool, any replacement would be more than capable of supporting Leclerc’s title bid.
The fifth protagonist is the 2024 title winner, Winward Racing, with its #48 Mercedes-AMG pairing of Maro Engel and Lucas Auer. They have lacked killer pace this term; consistency and race craft are their key attributes, and have already earned them the Endurance title.
Aside from the five leading crews, Comtoyou Racing could be a serious contender for victory. The #7 Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim and Kobe Pauwels was very quick at Magny-Cours and the team can build on the momentum of its recent Endurance win at the Nürburgring.
Garage 59 also has a potential winner with Marvin Kirchhöfer and Dean MacDonald sharing its #59 McLaren, though results have not matched expectations thus far in Sprint. You might say the same of Boutsen VDS and its Porsche factory pairing of Dorian Boccolacci and Morris Schuring, the latter one of four Dutch drivers on the grid this weekend.
Rutronik Racing gave the Lamborghini Temerario its maiden GT World Challenge podium at Magny-Cours. The German squad has form at Zandvoort – it scored victory at the track last term – and while a repeat of that will be difficult the #96 crew of Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler will at least hope to score more points with the new car.
Emil Frey Racing has enjoyed success at this track in the past, most notably sweeping the 2021 weekend. The Ferrari squad has two cars, including Dutch racer Thierry Vermeulen in the Verstappen.com-branded #69 machine, which should be a fan favourite at Zandvoort.
There are two more Pro entries from Team WRT, both of which can support the #32 crew's title push by taking points off their rivals. Of course, the #46 (Rossi/Hesse) and #31 (Cordeel/Pepper) will also have eyes on a first win of 2026.
Eastalent Racing (#84 Audi) heads to Magny-Cours following its best Sprint finish of the year, taking P5 at Magny-Cours. Finally, Razoon - more than racing returns to the grid with its Porsche – and this time it's competing in Pro. Simon Birch and Klaus Bachler share the wheel, as they did at Misano last year.
AF ON COURSE FOR GOLD GLORY?
AF Corse heads to Zandvoort on top of the Gold Cup standings courtesy of Tommaso Mosca and Matias Zagazeta. The #51 Ferrari has been consistent from the opening round and will be tough to beat over the final stretch of races. Garage 59 presents the greatest threat, with Tom Fleming and Louis Prette (#58 McLaren) 15 points back. They have four podiums from six races, but really need a win to put pressure on AF.
CSA Racing occupies third and fourth in the standings. The McLaren squad's #111 (Rougier/Kell) is three points back from Garage 59, and three points clear of the sister #555 machine (Gachet/Andriolo).
Next up it's Tresor Attempto Racing's #99 Audi, which swept the Misano weekend but has otherwise missed out on the podium. Nevertheless, the pairing of Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka must be considered a potential winner.
Boutsen VDS (Magnus/Knutson) bagged its maiden series victory as a Porsche outfit last time out at Magny-Cours, while VSR (Michelotto/Spinelli) has scored consistently with the new Lamborghini Temerario. Finally, KPX Motorsport will fly the Dutch flag on home soil with local driver Jop Rappange and David Pittard sharing the #77 BMW.
TEAM WRT ON THE BRINK OF MORE SILVER SUCCESS
It feels like a question of when and not if Team WRT will secure the Silver Cup crown. The #30 BMW of Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro has scored four wins and two more podiums to establish a commanding 37-point advantage; if they maintain this until the end of the weekend, they will be champions.
It is also likely that they will wrap up the combined title, adding to the Endurance crown they won with Amaury Cordeel at the Nürburgring. As such, the #30 crew could seal all available Silver Cup titles with two events remaining, a remarkable feat in such a competitive class.
Their closest title challengers are the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin (Day/Villagomez) and the #10 GetSpeed Team BartoneBros Mercedes-AMG (Panis/Bartone). The #5 Optimum Motorsport McLaren, which won the season opener, is also still in mathematical contention, but realistically needs a brace of wins in the Netherlands.
The Silver Cup grid features a new addition this weekend as Lionspeed GP adds the #89 Porsche for Nicolas Baert and recently-crowned Supercup champion Flynt Schuring. There will be two more 911s from Pure Rxcing and Dinamic GT, as well as a brace of AF Corse-run Ferrari 296s.
Comtoyou Racing has looked strong of late with its #21 Aston Martin and could be a victory contender this weekend. A second Vantage from Walkenhorst Motorsport and Tresor Attempto Racing's Audi complete the Silver field for Zandvoort.
WINWARD OUT FRONT BUT CLEAR FAVOURITE YET TO EMERGE IN BRONZE
As it stands, the Bronze Cup is a fight between two Mercedes-AMG squads: Winward Racing tops the table with its #87 pairing of Rinat Salikhov and Marvin Dienst, eight points clear of Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss in the #222 2 Seas entry. On what we've seen so far, the current leaders are favourites to finish the job.
Yet it doesn't feel as though a clear narrative for this title fight has emerged. You could still make a case for one of the chasing pack, such as the Ziggo Sport Tempesta Porsche (Dempsey/Cheever), which sits third in the standings; the Paradine Competition BMW (Leung/Farfus) and the GetSpeed Team Dubai Mercedes-AMG (Rindone/Schiller) have both won a race, so can also play a role.
And you simply can't rule out the defending champions, Kessel Racing, whose #74 Ferrari lies sixth in the standings but has a standout duo in Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall. Realistically, however, this is their last chance to mount a title defence.
Four more cars complete the Bronze Cup field and the full Zandvoort grid. Kessel Racing has a second entry, while Comtoyou Racing (#11 Aston Martin), Dinamic GT (#55 Porsche) and Tresor Attempto Racing (#66 Audi) will also be in action this weekend.
Zandvoort tickets start at just 10€ for access on Friday. Single-day tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost 25€ each while a full weekend pass costs 40€. Kids under 14 can attend free when accompanied by a paying adult.
A supplementary grid walk pass is also available to purchase, giving spectators access to the starting grid moments before the action gets under way. This applies to GT World Challenge, GT2 Europe and GT4 Europe and is priced at 40€ per day. Click here for more information.
If you can’t make it to the track, GT World Challenge races are streamed live around the world on the GT World YouTube channel. This is entirely free, allowing fans to experience every second of the action no matter where they are. Live coverage from Zandvoort begins with Qualifying 1 at 09:50 on Saturday, followed later that day by Race 1 at 14:45. The schedule is similar on Sunday with Qualifying 2 at 10:35 and Race 2 at 14:15. GT2 Europe and GT4 Europe will also air live on GT World. Click here for more information.