The 2026 GT4 European Series began this weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard, France, with both 60-minute races seeing debuting teams triumph.
ADAC GT4 Germany graduates SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm claimed victory in the season opener, whilst Race 2 was won by Belgian Toyota outfit CRT-Sport.
SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm drivers Enrico Förderer and Cedric Fuchs enjoyed a dream debut in Race 1, as they guided their #111 Mercedes-AMG to a dominant victory.
Förderer lined up second on the grid for his first GT4 Europe appearance, but wasted no time when the lights went out, getting the jump on NM Racing team’s #15 Mercedes-AMG of Lluc Ibañez to streak into the lead around the outside.
Once ahead, Förderer pressed on and was helped when Pro-Am leader Victor Bouveng also managed to slip past Ibañez, the fight between the two helping Förderer build an early lead. Ibañez managed to draft back into second, but by the time he did the lead stood at almost three seconds when the top two pitted late into the window. A perfect pit stop helped Fuchs rejoin untroubled, going on to score a dream result for the team and drivers.
Speedy Motorsport drivers Mees Houben and Lachlan Evennett made it a GT4 Europe Rookie one-two. Houben handed across to Evennett from sixth place and the Australian then charged into the podium places before hunting down Ibañez’ co-driver Papadopulos and making a fine pass for second into turn one late on.
Papadopulos held third ahead of Erik Evans and Nathan Vanspringel in the #61 Academy Motorsport Mustang, with Paul Petit and Grégory Guilvert (Team Speedcar Audi) and Pedro Garcia/Clément Seyler (Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin) rounding out the top six. It proved a tough race for defending champions Benjamin Lariche and Robert Consani, an engine problem in their #1Team Speedcar Audi during Qualifying meant they started back in 20th, but they managed to fight into the points in 10th.
With Bouveng running comfortably inside the top four overall across the first half, he and Joakim Walde looked set for their first Pro-Am win, about the #98 Schubert Motorsport BMW, but things were complicated when they were handed a penalty that threatened to derail the result.
Walde was given 10 seconds extra on his race time for speeding in the pits, and that would have crippled the car had the second-placed Önder Erdem not received exactly the same penalty. That left Walde in a race against time with the third-placed W&S Motorsport Porsche of Hendrik Still and Joachim Bölting. With just a few laps left, Walde led Bölting by 9.5 seconds, and managed to extend the gap just enough to secure the win regardless.
Erdem and Gustavo Xavier were third for Razoon – more than racing, ahead of Edvin Hellsten and Daniel Nilsson in the Nova Racing Porsche.
After topping every session so far, JSB Compétition drivers Nicco Ferrarin and Julien Briché did not put a wheel wrong on their way to the Am class victory. Daniel Blickle and Moritz Berrenberg fought through to second in their W&S Motorsport Porsche with Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen completing the podium for Gazoo Racing Sweden.
Race 2 saw CRT-Sport drivers Lucas Cartelle and Hudson Schwartz claim victory in a breathless encounter, putting their new GR Supra on top on its first outing.
After SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm’s win earlier in the day, it means both brand-new GT4 Europe entries finish the opening weekend of the season victorious. Few would have bet on the GR Supra duo approaching the closing moments of the race, but a late safety car bunched the pack and gave Cartelle the chance to jump past the #12 Borusan Otomotiv Motorsport BMW.
With just a handful of minutes left to run, the race looked to be going the way of the Turkish outfit, with Thomas Rackl enjoying a six-second gap out front. However, a short safety car wrecked his advantage and gave Cartelle the chance to pounce.
Rackl’s co-driver, former champion Gabriele Piana, had started the Borusan BMW on pole and the early stages of the race featured an electric multi-car battle between him, Clément Seyler’s Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin, Schwartz in the CRT Supra and Erik Evans’ Academy Motorsport Mustang. All four cars traded places – often running three or four-wide – with Piana having to pull a stunning move on the brakes to hold on to the lead. Seyler would again make it through to lead in the #74 Vantage, but Piana would fight back right before the Aston pitted.
Piana opted to stop latest of the leaders, handing across to Rackl who rejoined with a comfortable advantage ahead of the fight that continued behind. However, when the #77 Elite McLaren stopped on track, the safety car was called and Rackl was dragged back into the action. When racing resumed, Cartelle got a great run to draft into the lead, followed by Pedro Garcia in the #74 Aston. Rackl was then shuffled further back by the Mercedes-AMGs of both Lluc Ibañez (NM Racing Team) and Race 1 winner Enrico Förderer (SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm).
Once ahead Cartelle brought the car home for an emotional win, while Garcia soaked up relentless pressure from Ibañez and Förderer to secure second. Reigning champions Robert Consani and Benjamin Lariche once again had a race to forget, retiring their Team Speedcar Audi with damage early on.
The fight in Pro-Am was too close for comfort, literally. Things came to a head in the second half when the #31 W&S Porsche, #37 Team Speedcar Audi and #70 Razoon BMW ran three-wide down the straight before a touch caused chaos.
Sacha Bottemanne led early on in the Audi, ahead of Chris Salkeld in the BMW and Tim Horrell in the Porsche. All three kept things clean before handing to their team-mates, which is when the race got spicy.
Alon Gabbay was attempting to pass both Viny Beltramelli (who had taken over from Bottemanne) and Daniel Drexel (in for Salkeld) when the cars clashed. Contact between the Porsche and Audi sent Beltramelli into Drexel side-on, breaking the R8’s suspension and delaying Drexel. It also earned a penalty for the Porsche, so while Gabbay took the flag first he was dropped back to 10th. That left Drexel and Salkeld to pick up the win in their bruised BMW, ahead of Victor Bouveng and Joakim Walde’s Schubert Motorsport M4. Edvin Hellsten and Daniel Nilsson were third in the Nova Racing Porsche.
JSB Compétition completed a perfect weekend with another Am win. Julien Briché ran as high as ninth overall, pulling a comfortable gap over his class rivals before Nicco Ferrarin completed the job. Daniel Blickle and Moritz Berrenberg were second for W&S with GR Racing Sweden drivers Mikael and Christoffer Brunnhagen again completing the podium.
The GT4 European Series continues at Monza, on 29th to 31st May 2026.
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
