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• Individual performances in Championnat de France FFSA GT earned Simon the 2025 SRO GT Academy prize
• €150,000, as well as support from SRO Motorsports Group and the FFSA, enabled youngster to compete in GT World Challenge Europe
• Frenchman reflects on first year in GT3 ahead of Sprint Cup finale in Barcelona
This weekend, Gaspard Simon will contest the final round of his debut GT World Challenge Europe season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. As the inaugural winner of the SRO GT Academy, the 20-year-old Frenchman returns to the very place where his GT3 journey began.
"A year ago, I had just won the SRO GT Academy as part of Championnat de France FFSA GT, and I actually came to introduce myself to several teams in the Barcelona paddock," Gaspard says with a smile. "It’s amazing to see how far I’ve come since then. This weekend will mark my ninth event in Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO."
Thanks to his performance during winter testing, what was initially intended to be a Sprint Cup campaign turned into an almost complete programme; in addition to the five Sprint events, he also competed in the first four rounds of the Endurance Cup. And while the season isn't quite over yet, the youngster can already draw some conclusions from this maiden year in GT3.
"Driving a GT3 car, competing in the toughest GT series in the world, learning most of the circuits during race weekends... it’s definitely been a season full of new experiences," says Gaspard. “On top of that, I had to handle the pressure of knowing there was no margin for error, because we didn't have the budget to cover crash damage. I’m happy to say that, so far, I haven’t spun or gone off track once. Aside from a few instances of contact – which are unavoidable in such a tight pack – I haven’t damaged our Aston Martin. I also managed to put in some really impressive individual performances, even though race incidents unfortunately prevented us from backing them up with a top result."
Highlights of the season included an 18th-place finish in his debut qualifying session at Circuit Paul Ricard, setting the fastest time among the Aston Martins at Brands Hatch, qualifying 14th overall at Magny-Cours, and clocking a time within a tenth of his teammate Jamie Day during qualifying at Zandvoort. There have also been some superb battles with established GT stars, most notably with Marvin Dienst at Monza.
"My lap times have often been good, but in a series like this a lot of factors have to come together to achieve a representative result," says Gaspard. "I’m really disappointed about our retirement on the opening lap of the 24 Hours of Spa, when my teammate was caught up in a multi-car accident. I had been so looking forward to racing there and gaining experience. I also had to learn how to deal with frustration when a track-limits violation cost me a good time during qualifying at Misano. I suppose it’s all part of the learning process, but I was really hard on myself."
Nevertheless, keen observers have certainly taken note of Gaspard’s performances. "I’ve received quite a bit of encouragement from people in the paddock who believe in me," he explains. "I’ve also seen that I provide good technical feedback, which is obviously an advantage when it comes to determining the car's setup."
Expectations are high heading into the Sprint Cup finale in Barcelona. "I hope that, together with the Walkenhorst Motorsport team, we can put in a strong performance," Gaspard confirms. "Just as at Brands Hatch, Monza, the Nürburgring, and Zandvoort, I’ll be getting to know the track during the initial practice sessions. I’ve done a lot of simulator preparation and I’m incredibly motivated. Since I likely won’t be competing at Portimão, this will be my final race of the season, and I want to finish on a high note while having as much fun as possible. After that, the goal will be to continue discussions with partners and teams so I can build on this experience and compete in GT World Challenge again in 2027. But first, it’s time to race this weekend!"