2026 GT World Challenge Europe

2026 GT World Challenge Europe

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2025

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2027

Support series:
GT2 European Series
GT4 European Series
French GT4 Cup
TC France Series
GT3 Revival Series

Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts are the reigning drivers' champions, while Team WRT are the reigning consecutive teams' champions.

The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS is a planned motor racing championship for GT3 cars, marking the 13th edition of the GT World Challenge Europe. Organised by the SRO Motorsports Group, it will form the European part of the broader GT World Challenge, which will also include GT World Challenge America, GT World Challenge Australia and GT World Challenge Asia.

The championship will split into the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup, each with its respective titles, alongside the overall GT World Challenge Europe championship. The season will take place over ten rounds at various European circuits. The annual season prologue, which acts as the championship's pre-season testing, is scheduled to take place between 8 and 9 April, with testing for the 24 Hours of Spa occurring between 19 and 20 May. Racing is planned to commence in April and conclude in October.

Calendar

All Sprint Cup rounds consist of two one-hour races, totalling 15 races throughout the season, alongside the single 3-hour (Monza, Nürburgring and Portimão), 6-hour (Paul Ricard), or 24-hour (Spa) races in Endurance Cup rounds. ^{[1] [2]}

Round	Circuit	Date	Series	Map
1	Circuit Paul Ricard	11–12 April	Endurance	Paul Ricard Brands Hatch Monza Spa Misano Magny-Cours Nürburgring Zandvoort Barcelona Portimão
2	Brands Hatch	2–3 May	Sprint
3	Monza Circuit	29–31 May	Endurance
4	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	24–28 June	Endurance
5	Misano World Circuit	17–19 July	Sprint
6	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	31 July – 2 August	Sprint
7	Nürburgring	28–30 August	Endurance
8	Circuit Zandvoort	18–20 September	Sprint
9	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya	2–4 October	Sprint
10	Algarve International Circuit	16–18 October	Endurance
Source: [3]

Calendar changes

2026 is scheduled to feature a largely unchanged calendar. With the only significant alterations being the return of the Algarve International Circuit as the season finale, marking its first appearance since 2015, and Circuit Zandvoort being moved from May to September. ^[3]

Entries

Sprint Cup

Team Car Engine No. Class Drivers Rounds Boutsen VDS [4] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 2 P Dorian Boccolacci [4] TBC Alessio Picariello [4] TBC 10 G Robin Knutsson [4] TBC Gilles Magnus [4] TBC Comtoyou Racing [5] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 7 P Kobe Pauwels [5] TBC Nicki Thiim [5] TBC 11 B Felice Jelmini [5] TBC Marcelo Tomasoni [5] TBC 21 S Arthur Dorison [5] TBC Oliver Söderström [5] TBC Eastalent Racing [6] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 23 P Christopher Haase [6] TBC Simon Reicher [6] TBC Team WRT [7] [8] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 30 S Matisse Lismont [9] TBC Ignacio Montenegro [9] TBC 31 P Amaury Cordeel [9] TBC Jordan Pepper [9] TBC 32 P Kelvin van der Linde [7] TBC Charles Weerts [7] TBC 46 P Max Hesse [8] TBC Valentino Rossi [8] TBC Verstappen Racing [10] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 33 P Daniel Juncadella [10] TBC Chris Lulham [10] TBC Walkenhorst Motorsport [11] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 35 S Gaspard Simon [11] TBC TBA TBC Dinamic GT [12] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 54 S Loris Cabirou [12] TBC Tanart Sathienthirakul [12] TBC 55 B Dmitry Gvazava [12] TBC TBA TBC VSR [13] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 163 G Mattia Michelotto [13] TBC Loris Spinelli [13] TBC Rutronik Racing [14] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 TBA P Patric Niederhauser [15] TBC TBA TBC Tresor Attempto Racing [16] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 TBA TBA Andrea Frassineti [16] TBC Carrie Schreiner [17] TBC

Icon Class P Pro (Overall) G Gold Cup S Silver Cup B Bronze Cup

Endurance Cup

Team Car Engine No. Class Drivers Rounds Boutsen VDS [4] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 2 P Dorian Boccolacci [4] TBC Alessio Picariello [4] TBC Morris Schuring [4] TBC 10 G Alessandro Ghiretti [18] TBC Robin Knutsson [4] TBC Gilles Magnus [4] TBC Comtoyou Racing [5] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 7 P Mattia Drudi [5] TBC Marco Sørensen [5] TBC Nicki Thiim [5] TBC 11 B Kyle Marcelli [5] TBC A.J. Muss [5] TBC Marcelo Tomasoni [5] TBC 21 S Sébastien Baud [5] TBC Kobe Pauwels [5] TBC Oliver Söderström [5] TBC Eastalent Racing [6] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 23 P Christopher Haase [6] TBC Simon Reicher [6] TBC Markus Winkelhock [6] TBC Team WRT [7] [8] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 30 S Amaury Cordeel [9] TBC Matisse Lismont [9] TBC Ignacio Montenegro [9] TBC 32 P Kelvin van der Linde [7] TBC Jordan Pepper [7] TBC Charles Weerts [7] TBC 46 P Dan Harper [8] TBC Max Hesse [8] TBC Valentino Rossi [8] TBC Verstappen Racing [10] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 33 P Jules Gounon [10] TBC Daniel Juncadella [10] TBC Chris Lulham [10] TBC Greystone GT [19] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 44 S Jayden Kelly [19] TBC Zac Meakin [19] TBC Tommy Pintos [19] TBC Josh Rattican [19] TBC Dinamic GT [12] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 54 S Tanart Sathienthirakul [12] TBC Francesco Simonazzi [12] TBC Angus Whiteside [12] TBC TGI Team GRT [20] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 63 P Mirko Bortolotti [20] TBC Maximilian Paul [20] TBC Franck Perera [20] TBC HRT Ford Racing [21] Ford Mustang GT3 Evo Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 64 TBA TBA TBC TBA TBC TBA TBC Lionspeed GP [22] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 89 B Alex Fontana [22] TBC Patrick Kolb [22] TBC Bashar Mardini [22] TBC RaceGroup [23] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 TBA TBA Simon Birch [23] TBC Malte Ebdrup [23] TBC Frederik Schandorff [23] TBC Rutronik Racing [14] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 TBA P Patric Niederhauser [15] TBC TBA TBC TBA TBC Tresor Attempto Racing [16] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 TBA TBA Andrea Frassineti [16] TBC Carrie Schreiner [17] TBC TBA TBC

Icon Class P Pro (Overall) G Gold Cup S Silver Cup B Bronze Cup

To be confirmed

Team Car Engine No. Class Drivers Rounds ROWE Racing [24] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 98 P TBA TBC TBA TBC Johor Motorsports Racing JMR [25] Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 TBA TBA TBA TBC TBA TBC Razoon – more than racing [26] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 TBA TBA TBA TBC TBA TBC SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm [27] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 TBA TBA TBA TBC TBA TBC Steller Motorsport [28] Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 TBA TBA TBA TBC TBA TBC

Icon Class P Pro (Overall) G Gold Cup S Silver Cup B Bronze Cup

Driver and team changes

Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi will make his full-time championship return with Team WRT in the No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 Evo in 2026 alongside Max Hesse.

For the 2026 season, the former Porsche marque and overall winners of the previous season's Endurance Cup, Rutronik Racing, will make the switch to Lamborghini, aiming to field the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 in the Pro class with a line-up of factory drivers. ^[14] In their place, Boutsen VDS will make two full-season Porsche entries after splitting from Mercedes-AMG, one of which is confirmed to have Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello at the helm for the whole season. ^[4] The other will have Gilles Magnus and Swedish rising star Robin Knutsson in the Gold Cup. ^[4] An additional Porsche, entered by Dinamic GT will contest the Silver Cup with Thai driver, Tanart Sathienthirakul, behind the wheel in both Sprint and Endurance. ^[12]

It was also announced that Verstappen Racing would return to the series for a second year, now running a Mercedes-AMG, in a bid for the overall championship. Chris Lulham, last year's Gold Cup champion, will be paired with Mercedes-AMG factory talent Daniel Juncadella. ^[10]

Valentino Rossi is also set to make a full-time return to the series in the No. 46 Team WRT BMW after largely sitting out the 2025 season, making just two appearances at Spa and Misano. In 2026, he will be partnered with Max Hesse at all rounds. ^[8] In the sister No. 32 Pro car, last year's drivers' champions Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts will team up to defend their overall title across the whole season, with Jordan Pepper joining for the Endurance Cup. ^{[9] [29]} Pepper will also contest full-time in 2026, splitting his driving duties with the No. 31 Sprint Cup car. ^[9] To complete the Team WRT lineup, a full-time No. 30 entry will see Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro compete for honours in the Silver Cup. ^[9]

Aston Martin marquee Comtoyou Racing will expand its European programme by making three full-season entries in 2026. Car No. 7 will compete for overall honours with Nicki Thiim at the helm. Kobe Pauwels will share driving duties between the No. 7 at Sprint Cup rounds and the No. 21 Silver Cup entry at Endurance rounds; also in the No. 21, Oliver Söderström will compete for the full season. Finally, Marcelo Tomasoni will pilot the No. 11 Bronze Cup entry at all rounds in 2026. ^[5]

See also

• 2026 GT World Challenge America
• 2026 GT World Challenge Asia
• 2026 GT World Challenge Australia
• 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
• 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
• 2026 GT3 Revival Series
• 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge

References

1. Euwema, Davey (27 June 2025). "Portimao to Make GTWC Europe Return After 11-Year Absence – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
2. Kilbey, Stephen (27 June 2025). "GT World Challenge Europe Calendar Features Portimāo Return". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
3. "GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS returns to Portimāo for 2026 season finale". GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
4. "2026 ENTRY: Boutsen VDS partners with D'Ieteren Luxury Performance for two-car Porsche assault". GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
5. "Aston Martin Racing: our 2026 driver line-ups – Comtoyou Racing" (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2026.
6. Plümer, Jonas (30 January 2026). "GT World Challenge Europe: Eastalent Racing steigt ein". gt-place.com (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 30 January 2026.
7. "The driver lineups for the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO - Team WRT have been announced". Endurance-info (in French). 2 February 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
8. "Rossi makes full-time GT World return with Hesse and Harper at Team WRT BMW". GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
9. "2026 ENTRY: Team WRT completes line-up with further BMW entries for Sprint and Endurance". GT World Challenge Europe . 16 February 2026.
10. "Verstappen Racing Switches to Mercedes-AMG – Sportscar365". 24 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
11. "SRO GT Academy Winner to Race Walkenhorst Aston – Sportscar365". 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
12. "2026 ENTRY: Dinamic GT confirms two-car Porsche programme". 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
13. "2026 Entry: VSR to run new Lamborghini Temerario in Sprint Cup attack". 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
14. "Rutronik Racing partners with Lamborghini to field new Temerario GT3". GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
15. "Niederhauser Named Lamborghini Factory Driver – Sportscar365". 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
16. "Frassineti Moves to Join Tresor Audi Effort – Sportscar365". 27 December 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
17. BÖCKER, MIKA (23 January 2026). "Carrie Schreiner to make GT World Challenge Europe debut with Tresor Attempto Racing". Racers. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
18. "2026: Boutsen VDS completes Gold Cup line-up as Porsche Supercup champ Ghiretti joins Magnus and Knutsson". 6 February 2026. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
19. Kilbey, Stephen (29 January 2026). "Greystone GT To Contest Full Endurance Cup Season In 2026". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
20. "2026 ENTRY: Bortolotti, Perera, Paul to drive Lamborghini Temerario for TGI Team GRT". 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
21. Dagys, John (18 December 2025). "HRT Expands Mustang GT3 Program; Enters IGTC". Sportscar365. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
22. "Fontana to Return to GTWC Europe With Lionspeed – Sportscar365". 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
23. "RaceGroup to Make Series Debut With Ferrari Effort – Sportscar365". 26 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
24. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
25. "JMR Corvettes Set for Indy 8H Debut; Focus on IGTC – Sportscar365". 12 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
26. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
27. Goodwin, Graham (3 December 2025). "SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Goes International!" . Retrieved 4 December 2025.
28. "Steller Motorsport get out testing in Spain". Bucks Herald. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
29. Kilbey, Stephen (2 February 2026). "Van Der Linde, Weerts & Pepper Team Up At WRT". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2 February 2026.

External links

• Official website