The 2026 GT2 European Series season came to an end at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portugal, with SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm and LP Racing sharing the spoils across a pair of chaotic 50-minute races.
Race 1
Wilhelm Kuhne and Moritz Wiskirchen won the penultimate race of the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli season at Portimão thanks to a brilliant strategic play from the SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm squad, while CMR duo Ethan Gialdini and Mikkel Njor wrapped up the overall Drivers’ title with a fifth-place finish.
This result seemed highly unlikely when the race began. Antoine Potty held the lead from pole aboard the #6 i4Race Maserati, while behind him the #18 LP Racing Maserati of Niccolo Pirri and Njor’s #3 CMR Ginetta squabbled over second. In Pro-Am, Lawrence Tomlinson made an excellent start to gain four places, climbing to the head of the order and significantly boosting his title chances aboard the #62 CMR Ginetta.
Potty took advantage of the scrap behind him to pull away at the head of the order. With 15 minutes on the clock, the Belgian led by around three seconds from his two Silver Cup rivals. In fourth, Thomas Yu Lee led the Masters class in his #8 LP Racing Maserati, immediately followed by the #89 RTR Projects KTM of Viktor Mraz and then Pro-Am leader Tomlinson.
But disaster struck for the CMR man when his Ginetta ground to a halt on the 20-minute mark. The car had suffered a suspected driveshaft failure and its race was over, with the team’s Pro-Am title hopes were now in tatters.
The stranded Ginetta brought out the Safety Car, which entered the track just as the pit window opened. This proved to be the crucial moment in the race as the #110 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG seized upon a strategic opportunity. While the rest of the field pitted and was picked up by the slow-running safety car, Kuhne remained out for an additional two laps.
The German was able to circulate faster than the rest of the field and effectively gained a lap on his rivals. When he handed over to Wiskirchen, the #110 Mercedes-AMG had moved to the front of the order. Wiskirchen therefore took the restart ahead of Potty, Pirri’s co-driver Stefan Rosina and Gialdini.
There was less than 10 minutes to run when the action resumed, and the big question was whether the sister #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm entry of David Thilenius and Jay Mo Härtling could score enough points to put the Pro-Am title beyond doubt with a race to spare. Härtling took the restart fourth in class and needed to make up just one spot to score the necessary points.
He looked to have done the job immediately by blasting past the #85 Iron Dames by SP Maserati of Sarah Bovy. However, the German ace was judged to have made the move exceeding track limits, with the resulting 10-second penalty dropping the #111 Mercedes-AMG down the order and out of a title-winning position.
Out front Wiskirchen took the chequered flag to secure his and Kuhne’s maiden GT2 European Series victory. Potty came home second and claimed Silver Cup honours, followed by the #1 LP Racing Maserati of Phillipe Prette and his son Louis. The #18 Maserati was fourth, followed by Njor and Gialdini’s #3 CMR Ginetta. This secured the overall GT2 Europe drivers’ title for the young duo, who wrapped up the Silver class crown last time out at Zandvoort.
In Masters, Mraz and Lennart Marioneck scored a commanding win in sixth overall aboard the #89 KTM. Mraz swapped places with class rival Yu Lee during the opening stint, but the latter dropped back considerably during the second half, allowing Marioneck to collect a comfortable win.
Unfortunately, only 16 cars participated in the final round of the season, with an accident for the #77 High Class Racing Ligier JS2 RS in Qualifying forcing the debuting effort to withdraw from the races.
Race 2
LP Racing scored an impressive clean sweep of all three classes in the final races of the 2026 GT2 European Series season at Portimão, headed by the dominant father-and-son #1 Maserati of Louis and Philippe Prette.
David Thilenius and Jay Mo Härtling, meanwhile, clinched the Pro-Am title despite a final lap collision with their closest rival in a dramatic sprint to the finish.
Louis Prette started from pole and held off the fast-starting #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG of Härtling. The race settled down thereafter with Prette pulling a five-second gap over Härtling, who was chased by a pair of Silver Cup runners, Antoine Potty’s #6 i4Race and Stefan Rosina’s #18 LP Racing Maseratis.
The competitive picture was largely unchanged through the pit window, with Philippe Prette taking the controls of the #1 Maserati and holding the advantage, while Thilenius was installed in the #111 Mercedes-AMG and stayed in second.
Then, with a little over 10 minutes remaining, the #294 RTR Projects Mercedes-AMG made contact with the #898 MZR KTM, the consequence of a late overtaking attempt. The latter suffered terminal damage and pulled into the gravel bed, requiring a safety car intervention. This bunched up the pack and led to a grandstand finish.
As the race went green once again, the only championship left to settle was Pro-Am. This was not an especially close fight, with the #62 CMR Ginetta needing to win to have any chance of stealing the crown from Thilenius and Härtling. Even then, the #111 Mercedes-AMG only needed to finish.
Thilenius was under immediate pressure from behind and fell into the pack. He was soon passed by Lawrence Tomlinson in the #62 Ginetta, though this would still not have been enough to change the championship outcome. Thilenius attempted to retake the place and made contact with Tomlinson, causing both to spin.
Prette, meanwhile, was untouchable at the head of the field and came home for his first GT2 Europe victory alongside his son – a fine way to end a season that had already brought a Masters class title. The #18 Maserati of Rosina and Niccolo Pirri completed an LP Racing one-two and earned Silver Cup honours, with the #3 CMR Ginetta of Ethan Gialdini and Mikkel Njor in third.
The #62 Ginetta was classified fifth in Pro-Am, one place ahead of the #111 Mercedes-AMG. As such, the title was claimed by Thilenius and Härtling by 19 points.
Masters victory went to Thomas Yu Lee, who completed an LP Racing sweep by triumphing aboard his Maserati. The American beat the #89 RTR Projects KTM to the final class win of 2026.
The 2027 GT2 European Series season will begin at Circuit Paul Ricard on 16th to 18th April 2026.
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
