Matt Griffin has reflected on a challenging 2025 British GT season, describing the 296 GT3’s struggles around the UK’s tighter circuits as “an uphill battle”. But he feels the Italian marque’s planned 2026 evo kit upgrade will make a big difference next year.
Spirit of Race’s #55 Ferrari 296 GT3 undertook its maiden British GT season, marking the return of Irish pairing Griffin and Duncan Cameron – and Ferrari – after a five-year absence from the championship.
Griffin pinpointed the car’s long gear ratios as a key weakness on the UK’s stop-start circuits, but he remains optimistic that Ferrari’s 2026 Evo kit will resolve the issue.
He is also chasing his 15th British GT race victory and recently concluded Spirit of Race’s other effort in the European Le Mans Series with Cameron and David Perel.
“We just can’t get the Ferrari to work around here,” he told DSC at the British GT Donington Park decider, which hosted the ninth and final round on 4-5 October.
“The Balance of Performance (BoP) on paper isn’t bad, but the issue is that the gear ratios are too long. We don’t even use fifth or sixth gear — the top gear we use is fourth.
“At all of the corners, both [Grand Prix] hairpins, for example, we’re in first gear but really need a gear lower. So it’s just not suited to the nature of a lot of the British tracks, which are very, very tight.
“We’re just trying to battle with that and find a way around it.”
Spirit of Race’s dual campaign in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and British GT meant that the team had to prioritise the former at times.
This included missing the British GT season opener at Donington, which coincided with the 4 Hours of Barcelona, and the Brands Hatch round, which clashed with the 4 Hours of Spa.
Beyond Silverstone and Spa, most circuits on the British GT calendar feature narrow, technical layouts — from Oulton Park’s flowing yet unforgiving curves to Snetterton’s tight inner loop.
Silverstone hosted the second round of the season with its blue riband event, the Silverstone 500, a three-hour enduro around the Grand Prix Circuit. It is undoubtedly the most renowned and fastest circuit in the UK, let alone in British GT – except for Spa-Francorchamps.
Spirit of Race had two Ferraris entered, along with a third by Kessel Racing, and Griffin ran strongly in his #55 machine, fifth in a grid of 20 GT3s. The #55 Ferrari showed strong pace before contact from Sam Neary’s #8 Team Abba Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo ended their race early.
Before the incident, the 296 seemed at home around the venue, which Griffin/Cameron returned to for the ELMS’s long-awaited comeback five months later in September.
At Snetterton’s two 1-hour sprint races, they finished seventh and 10th and showcased promising form despite the circuit’s inner loop unfavouring the Ferrari 296.
Griffin explained that the 296’s fixed long gear ratios caused the car to fall out of the power band in slower corners, resulting in a loss of valuable time.
This issue was particularly apparent during qualifying, where the team averaged a P11 finish across the seven races they competed in.
“We’ve battled that all year,” he said, “when you have the grip, we’re in the wrong gear in every corner. But in races we’re a lot closer – we were second quickest at Spa in the race, and really fast in both races at Snetterton to be honest.”
“We just struggle with torque because the gear ratios are too long, and you can’t change them. I think that’ll change for next year with what they’ve got coming for the car.”
Earlier this year, Ferrari unveiled an Evo kit for the 296 GT3, which will debut in 2026, designed to enhance the existing package while addressing significant weaknesses in the car’s performance during races, such as aerodynamic sensitivity and stability in turbulent air.
“Some aero upgrades are coming, which should make things better when you’re following cars — that’s been an Achilles’ heel of the Ferrari. But the main thing is they’re harmonising lower gear ratios, which is going to be a game-changer,” Griffin explained.
“When we’re in Europe on faster, more flowing circuits, it’s not such a huge issue. But when we come to the UK — places like Oulton Park or Donington — you’ve got the loop with two tight hairpins, and maybe five corners overall where you’re using first gear. That’s what kills us with the Ferrari.
“You go to Barcelona, Spa, Misano — all fast and flowing — and we’re really strong. It’s just that right now, in its current guise, the car isn’t suited to UK circuits.”
The 2025 campaign served as a learning year for the Spirit of Race team, as Ferrari had not been represented in the British GT since the Snetterton race meeting in 2022, during which Scuderia’s premier GT3 car was the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo.
Griffin and Cameron have been driving together since 2009, with Griffin being one of the most experienced British GT drivers on the grid, having won the championship title in 2003. He is one of the handful to have raced every GT3 model variant produced by Ferrari.
Despite the car’s limitations, the pair’s consistency and lack of mistakes stood out over the season.
“We just need the Ferrari to be more in the window with the other cars, to be honest. In all the other championships we do, we’re really quick — and even if you forget about me, Duncan’s one of the fastest bronze drivers in ELMS.
“He was on pole at Spa (for the ELMS race), he’s super good. But here, he’s towards the back because of the package we have with the car and the BoP that’s based on European data.
“I definitely want to come back and do British GT, and I want to come back with the Ferrari in a position where it’s competitive.
“The team’s doing a mega job. We’re maximising our package, but right now the Ferrari just isn’t where it needs to be compared to the other cars.”
For Griffin, the hope is that 2026 marks not just a new chapter for the 296 GT3 but Ferrari’s return to contention on British soil.
