ZRS Motorsport’s Alex Fontana and Pietro Armanni claimed a commanding victory on their International GT Open debut at the undulating Autódromo do Algarve today.
The 2026 season-opener was drama-filled, with the first dose coming after just three corners, when Ferrari-contracted driver Tommaso Mosca snatched the lead from Fontana at Lagos. However, running over debris shortly after left the #51 AF Corse Ferrari with a rear-right puncture, ending Mosca’s challenge just three laps in.
Following that incident, Fontana steadily built a lead over the competition before a safety car interrupted the race to retrieve the first retirement of the race — the #77 Grupo Prom Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Alfredo Hernández — from the Turn 10 gravel trap, after contact between Mosca and Hernández sent both cars into synchronised pirouettes.
Once Fontana handed over to Armanni in the #911 Porsche 911 GT3.R Evo, they maintained their advantage, ultimately finishing the race with over an eight-second gap ahead of second place.
“It wasn’t easy, but we enjoyed it,” Fontana told the broadcast after winning. “Mosca had a great start. He got me on exit fair play to him, and I thought we could have had a nice fight later on in the scene, but he had an issue.
“So from then, I could manage to build a gap. There was a safety car in between, but our car was strong in pace, so it was possible to pull a smaller gap before the pit stop.
“Pietro then conducted his first GT3 race in the perfect way, building even a bigger gap at the end. So I think it’s a good day.”
The fight for second intensified in the closing laps of the 70-minute race, with Christian Mansell in the #71 Team Motopark Mercedes-AMG holding off Dean Macdonald’s Greystone GT McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
Despite sustained pressure, Mansell edged Macdonald by just 0.532 seconds to secure the podium on his return to racing, alongside Maximilian Götz.
Mercedes-AMG factory driver Götz put in a strong opening stint, starting the #71 Motopark Mercedes from sixth overall and fourth in the Pro category.
He took advantage of battles taking place around him and was one of the first front-runners to pit when the driver change window opened with 42 minutes of the race remaining.
After the driver change, Mansell came under pressure from the #33 Greystone GT McLaren of Dean Macdonald, who exploited the car’s cornering stability against the Mercedes’ straight line speed.
Greystone’s strong pairing of McLaren junior Zak Meakin and Macdonald was a strong contender for the podium throughout, especially when Meakin battled against 2020 GT Open champion Henrique Chaves’ #97 Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo.
Behind them, Elite Motorsport’s Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo made it four manufacturers in the top four, while Motopark’s #28 Mercedes entry of Marcelo Ramírez and Dominik Baumann completed a strong recovery drive from 13th to fifth.
In Pro-Am, Fach Auto Tech secured victory on debut after late-race drama.
The #54 SPS Mercedes of Yannick Mettler lost the lead following contact with Thomas Neubauer’s AF Corse Ferrari at Lagos, and a subsequent five
RE-second penalty for a pit stop infringement.
Although Fach also received a time penalty, Alexander Fach and Alexander Schwarzer retained enough margin to take the class win.
Despite losing the lead late on, the #54 SPS Mercedes completed a strong recovery to finish seventh overall and second in Pro-Am.
AF Corse’s #96 Ferrari of Yaroslav Veselaho and Thomas Neubauer finished eighth overall and sixth in the Pro classification.
Saintéloc Racing’s #26 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2 finished ninth overall and third in Pro-Am, following a late-race shuffle in the order at Lagos.
Into Africa Racing by Dragon finished 10th with #25 Ferrari 296 GT3 drivers Xolile Letlaka and Axcil Jefferies, fourth in Pro-Am.
Charles Bateman and Chaves rounded out the top five in Pro-Am for the #97 Blackthorn Aston Martin, 11th overall.
Team ISR’s #75 Audi of Filip Salaquarda and Libor Milota finished 12th, ahead of the #88 Track Focused McLaren of father-son duo Darren and James Kell.
The #777 Olimp Racing Ferrari of Karol Basz and Marcin Jedliński took P8 in Pro-Am.
Further down the order, the Am class victory went to Baron Motorsport’s Andrzej and Adrian Lewandowski, while Sendom Racing lost a dominant position after a late issue.
AF Corse’s #55 Ferrari also retired in the pit lane due to an incorrectly fitted rear-left wheel after a pit stop, rounding out a race that combined early drama with a decisive debut victory for ZRS Motorsport.
Qualifying continues this weekend’s action tomorrow morning at 09:35 local time to set the grid for Race 2.
Image courtesy of GT Sport
