2026 GT World Challenge Europe

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]

Sprint Cup

Bronze Cup entries will not compete at the Brands Hatch round and will instead begin their Sprint Cup season at Misano World Circuit, the second round of the Sprint Cup and the fifth round of the season.^[4]

Team Car Engine No. Class Drivers Rounds Boutsen VDS[5] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 2 P Dorian Boccolacci[5] 2 Morris Schuring[6] 10 G Robin Knutsson[5] 2 Gilles Magnus[5] Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing[7] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 3 P Daniel Juncadella[7] 2 Chris Lulham[7] 2 Seas Motorsport[8] 222 B Charles Dawson[8] TBC Kiern Jewiss[8] Optimum Motorsport[9] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 5 S Guilherme Oliveira[9] 2 Mikey Porter[9] GetSpeed Team BartoneBros[8] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 6 S Anthony Bartone[8] 2 Aurélien Panis[8] GetSpeed[8] 12 B Gabriel Rindone[8] TBC Fabian Schiller[8] Comtoyou Racing[10] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 7 P Kobe Pauwels[10] 2 Nicki Thiim[10] 11 B Felice Jelmini[10] TBC Marcelo Tomasoni[10] 21 S Arthur Dorison[10] 2 Oliver Söderström[10] Pure Rxcing[6] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 9 S Alex Malykhin[6] 2 Alexey Nesov[6] Emil Frey Racing[6] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 14 P Matteo Cairoli[6] 2 Konsta Lappalainen[6] 69 P Ben Green[6] 2 Thierry Vermeulen[6] Team WRT[11] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 30 S Matisse Lismont[11] 2 Ignacio Montenegro[11] 31 P Amaury Cordeel[11] 2 Jordan Pepper[11] 32 P Kelvin van der Linde[11] 2 Charles Weerts[11] 46 P Max Hesse[11] 2 Valentino Rossi[11] Walkenhorst Motorsport[12] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 34 S Jamie Day[12] 2 Mateo Villagomez[12] 35 S Maxime Robin[12] 2 Gaspard Simon[12] Winward Racing[8] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 48 P Lucas Auer[8] 2 Maro Engel[8] 87 B Marvin Dienst[8] TBC Rinat Salikhov[8] AF Corse[6] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 50 P Arthur Leclerc[6] 2 Thomas Neubauer[6] 51 G Tommaso Mosca[6] 2 Matias Zagazeta[6] 52 S Jef Machiels[6] 2 Gilles Stadsbader[6] 71 S Carl Bennett[6] 2 Felix Hirsiger[6] Dinamic GT[13] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 54 S Loris Cabirou[13] 2 Tanart Sathienthirakul[13] 55 B Dmitry Gvazava[13] TBC TBA Garage 59[14] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 58 G Tom Fleming[14] 2 Louis Prette[14] 59 P Marvin Kirchhöfer[14] 2 Dean MacDonald[14] Tresor Attempto Racing[15] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 66 S Andrea Frassineti[15] 2 Ariel Levi[6] 88 B Sebastian Øgaard[6] TBC TBA 99 G Alex Aka[6] 2 Dylan Pereira[6] Kessel Racing[16] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 74 B Dustin Blattner[16] TBC Dennis Marschall[16] 277 B David Fumanelli[16] TBC Marco Pulcini[16] KPX Motorsport[17] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 77 G David Pittard[18] 2 Jop Rappange[18] S Peter Kox[6] TBC Stéphane Kox[6] Lionspeed GP[6] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 80 P Bastian Buus[19] 2 Ricardo Feller[19] 89 B Alex Fontana[6] TBC Bashar Mardini[6] Eastalent Racing[20] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 84 P Christopher Haase[20] 2 Simon Reicher[20] Ziggo Tempesta Racing[6] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 93 B Eddie Cheever III[6] TBC TBA Rutronik Racing[21] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 96 P Luca Engstler[21] 2 Patric Niederhauser[21] CSA Racing[22] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 111 G James Kell[22] 2 Arthur Rougier[22] 555 G Romain Andriolo[22] 2 Simon Gachet[22] VSR[23] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 163 G Mattia Michelotto[23] 2 Loris Spinelli[23] Razoon – more than racing[24] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 914 S Simon Birch[18] 2 Magnus Gustavsen[25] Denny Berndt[6] TBC Leo Pichler[6] Paradine Competition[26] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 991 B Augusto Farfus[27] TBC Darren Leung[26]

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

Endurance Cup

Team Car Engine No. Class Drivers Rounds Johor Motorsports Racing JMR[28] Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 0 B Ben Green[28] 4 Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim[28] H.H. Prince Jefri Ibrahim[28] Jordan Love[29] Boutsen VDS[5] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 2 P Dorian Boccolacci[5] 1, 3–4 Alessio Picariello[5] Morris Schuring[5] 10 G Alessandro Ghiretti[30] 1, 3–4 Robin Knutsson[5] Gilles Magnus[5] Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing[7] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 3 P Jules Gounon[7] 1, 3–4 Daniel Juncadella[7] Chris Lulham[7] 2 Seas Motorsport[8] 33 B Jason Hart[28] 4 Scott Noble[28] Aaron Walker[28] Lewis Williamson[28] 222 B Reece Barr[8] 1, 3–4 Charles Dawson[8] Kiern Jewiss[8] Garnet Patterson[28] 4 Optimum Motorsport[9] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 4 G Harry George[9] 1, 3–4 Adam Smalley[9] Freddie Tomlinson[9] Ruben Del Sarte[28] 4 5 S Guilherme Oliveira[9] 1, 3–4 Mikey Porter[9] Dante Rappange[9] Salman Owega[28] 4 GetSpeed Team BartoneBros[8] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 6 S Anthony Bartone[8] 1, 3–4 César Gazeau[8] Aurélien Panis[8] Karol Basz[28] 4 GetSpeed Team Dubai[8] 12 B Mikaël Grenier[8] 1, 3–4 Tom Kalender[8] Gabriel Rindone[8] Jarrod Waberski[28] 4 Will Martin[6] TBC Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed[8] 17 P Maximilian Götz[8] 1, 3–4 Maxime Martin[8] Fabian Schiller[8] GetSpeed Team Noble Racing[8] 67 B Philip Ellis[8] 1 Jason Hart[8] Scott Noble[8] GetSpeed Team PCX[28] 999 PA Jordan Boisson[28] 4 Patrick Charlaix[28] Marvin Klein[28] Benjamin Paque[28] Comtoyou Racing[10] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 7 P Mattia Drudi[10] 1, 3–4 Marco Sørensen[10] Nicki Thiim[10] 11 B Kyle Marcelli[10] 1, 3–4 Aaron Muss[10] Marcelo Tomasoni[10] Felice Jelmini[28] 4 18 P Mari Boya[31] 1 Roberto Merhi[31] Lance Stroll[31] 21 S Sébastien Baud[10] 1, 3–4 Kobe Pauwels[10] Oliver Söderström[10] Arthur Dorison[28] 4 700 PA Nicolas Baert[32] 4 Sarah Bovy[32] Xavier Knauf[32] Grégory Servais[32] Car Collection Motorsport[28] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 8 PA Reinhold Krahn[33] 4 Nicolò Rosi[28] Niccolò Schirò[28] Joel Sturm[28] Pure Rxcing[6] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 9 S Max Hofer[6] 1, 3–4 Alex Malykhin[6] Alexey Nesov[6] Enzo Trulli[28] 4 Team Motopark[28] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 20 S Rui Andrade[28] 4 Christian Mansell[28] Yannik Mettler[28] Levente Révész[28] Schumacher CLRT[28] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 22 P Matt Campbell[28] 4 Ayhancan Güven[28] Frédéric Makowiecki[29] Team RJN[6] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 23 S Ben Dörr[6] 1, 3–4 Horatio Fitz-Simon[6] Max Lynn[6] Wyatt Brichacek[29] 4 Steller Motorsport[34] Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Chevrolet LT6.R 5.5 L V8 24 G Antoine Doquin[31] 1, 3–4 Dennis Lind[34] Lorenzo Fluxá Cross[31] 1 Mikkel Mac[35] 3 Mikkel Pedersen[28] 4 Lenny Ried[36] Saintéloc Racing[37] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 25 S Etienne Cheli[38] 1, 3–4 Ivan Klymenko[31] Ezequiel Pérez Companc[31] Lucas Legeret[36] 4 Didier André[39] TBC Grégory Guilvert[39] Haas RT[28] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 28 PA Simon Balcaen[28] 4 Mathieu Castelein[28] Pierre Castelein[28] Steven Palette[28] Team WRT[11] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 30 S Amaury Cordeel[11] 1, 3–4 Matisse Lismont[11] Ignacio Montenegro[11] Mathieu Detry[29] 4 32 P Kelvin van der Linde[11] 1, 3–4 Jordan Pepper[11] Charles Weerts[11] 46 P Dan Harper[11] 1, 3–4 Max Hesse[11] Valentino Rossi[11] natural elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport[12] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 34 P Henrique Chaves[12][a] 3–4 Jamie Day[12][a] Christian Krognes[12][a] Walkenhorst Motorsport[12] 35 S Ethan Ischer[12] 1, 3–4 Gaspard Simon[31] Mateo Villagomez[12] Maxime Robin[28] 4 Oman Racing by Century Motorsport[40] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 42 B Ahmad Al Harthy[40] 1, 3–4 Javier Sagrera[40] Calan Williams[40] Pedro Ebrahim[41] 4 Greystone GT[42] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 44 S Jayden Kelly[42] 1, 3–4 Tommy Pintos[42] Josh Rattican[42] Zac Meakin[42] 4 Rinaldi Racing[6] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 45 S Rafael Duran[6] 1, 3–4 Dylan Medler[6] David Perel[6] Alessandro Balzan[28] 4 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter[8] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 48 P Lucas Auer[8] 1, 3–4 Maro Engel[8] Luca Stolz[8] Winward Racing[8] 87 B Marvin Dienst[8] 1, 3–4 Gabriele Piana[8] Rinat Salikhov[8] Daan Arrow[28] 4 AF Corse[6] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 50 P Sean Gelael[6] 1, 3–4 Arthur Leclerc[6] Lilou Wadoux[6] 51 P Tommaso Mosca[6] 1, 3–4 Nicklas Nielsen[6] Alessio Rovera[6] 52 S Jef Machiels[6] 1, 3–4 Gilles Stadsbader[6] Matías Zagazeta[6] Francesco Braschi[28] 4 70 PA Peter Dempsey[28] 4 Miguel Molina[28] Custodio Toledo[28] Matthieu Vaxivière[28] Selected Car Racing[43] 71 G Simon Birch[43] 1, 3–4 Malte Ebdrup[43] Frederik Schandorff[43] Conrad Laursen[28] 4 Dinamic GT[13] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 54 S Tanart Sathienthirakul[13] 1, 3–4 Francesco Simonazzi[13] Angus Whiteside[13] Loris Cabirou[28] 4 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn[6] Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 56 B Jonny Adam[6] 1, 3–4 Giacomo Petrobelli[6] Lorcan Hanafin[6] 3–4 Tom Wood[44] 1 Romain Leroux[28] 4 Garage 59[14] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 58 G Tom Fleming[14] 1, 3–4 Benjamin Goethe[14] Louis Prette[14] 59 P Marvin Kirchhöfer[14] 1, 3–4 Joseph Loake[14] Dean MacDonald[14] JMW Motorsport[6] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 60 B Tim Heinemann[6] 1, 3–4 Rolf Ineichen[6] Thomas Kiefer[28] 3–4 Chandler Hull[31] 1 Pierre-Louis Chovet[29] 4 Hunter Abbott[6] TBC TGI Team by GRT[45] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 63 P Mirko Bortolotti[45] 1, 3–4 Maximilian Paul[45] Franck Perera[45] HRT Ford Racing[46] Ford Mustang GT3 Evo Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 64 P Thomas Drouet[31] 1, 3–4 Arjun Maini[6] Fabio Scherer[31] 65 S Eduardo Coseteng[6] 1, 3–4 Maxime Oosten[6] Finn Wiebelhaus[6] Max Reis[47] 4 Grupo Prom Racing Team[8] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 177 B Colin Caresani[38] 1, 3 Alfredo Hernández[8] Stéphane Tribaudini[8] Ralf Aron[6] TBC PA Colin Caresani[28] 4 Adam Christodoulou[28] Alfredo Hernández[28] Stéphane Tribaudini[28] Tresor Attempto Racing[15] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 66 S Ariel Levi[31] 1, 3–4 Rocco Mazzola[6] Sebastian Øgaard[6] Mark Kastelic[29] 4 88 B Daniele Di Amato[6] 1, 3–4 Carrie Schreiner[6] Alberto Di Folco[31] 1 Gerhard Tweraser[35] 3 Georgios Kolovos[29] 4 Sérgio Sette Câmara[29] 99 G Andrea Frassineti[6] 1, 3–4 Dylan Pereira[6] Alex Aka[6] 1, 4 Lorenzo Ferrari[48] 3 Kessel Racing[16] Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo Ferrari F163CE 3.0 L Turbo V6 74 B Dustin Blattner[16] 1, 3–4 Dennis Marschall[16] Lorenzo Patrese[16] 1, 3 Mathys Jaubert[28] 4 Ben Tuck[28] 76 B Alessandro Cutrera[6] TBC Marco Frezza[6] David Fumanelli[6] 75 Express[6] Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 75 B Dominik Baumann[6] TBC Hadrien David[6] Kenny Habul[6] Tsunami RT[28] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 79 PA Fabio Babini[28] 4 Hiroshi Hamaguchi[29] Nico Menzel[28] Johannes Zelger[28] Lionspeed GP[49] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 80 P Bastian Buus[6] 1, 3–4 Ricardo Feller[31] Thomas Preining[31] 89 B Alex Fontana[49] 1, 3–4 Patrick Kolb[49] Bashar Mardini[49] Axcil Jefferies[28] 4 Eastalent Racing[20] Audi R8 LMS Evo II Audi DAR 5.2 L V10 84 P Christopher Haase[20] 1, 3–4 Simon Reicher[20] Markus Winkelhock[20] High Class Racing[28] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 86 PA Anders Fjordbach[28] 4 Kerong Li[28] Hongli Ye[28] Bo Yuan[28] Herberth Motorsport[6] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 91 B Ralf Bohn[6] 1, 3–4 Huub van Eijndhoven[31] Robert Renauer[6] 1, 3 Mathieu Jaminet[28] 4 Alfred Renauer[6] Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing[6] 93 B Eddie Cheever III[6] 1, 3–4 Chris Froggatt[6] Jonathan Hui[6] 3–4 Stefano Costantini[44] 1 Mex Jansen[29] 4 Daniil Move[31] TBC Rutronik Racing[21][50] Lamborghini Temerario GT3 Lamborghini L411 4.0 L Turbo V8 96 P Luca Engstler[21] 1, 3–4 Marco Mapelli[21] Patric Niederhauser[21] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 97 B Antares Au[50] 1, 3–4 Riccardo Pera[50] 1, 3 Sven Müller[6] 3–4 Loek Hartog[31] 1 Michelle Gatting[28] 4 Martin Rump[28] ROWE Racing[17] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 98 P Jake Dennis[17] 1, 3–4 Augusto Farfus[17] Raffaele Marciello[17] 998 G Jens Klingmann[17] 1, 3–4 Tim Tramnitz[17] Ugo de Wilde[17] CSA Racing[22] McLaren 720S GT3 Evo McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 111 G Simon Gachet[22] 1, 3–4 James Kell[22] Arthur Rougier[22] Jim Pla[28] 4 555 S Romain Andriolo[22] 1, 3–4 Lorens Lecertua[22] Baptiste Moulin[22] Sai Sanjay[28] 4 Muehlner Motorsport[28] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 123 B Armand Fumal[36] 4 Bayley Hall[36] Andres Latorre[36] Tobias Müller[28] Razoon – more than racing[24] Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 914 B Dominik Olbert[38] 1 Benjamin Paque[38] Gerhard Tweraser[38] Georgios Kolovos[35] 3 Stylianos Kolovos[35] Lenny Ried[35] Kenzie Reiss Beecroft[36] 4 Carl Bennett[36] Bryce Fullwood[36] Edward McDermott[36] S Denny Berndt[6] TBC Leo Pichler[6] Luca Rettenbacher[6] Paradine Competition[26] BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 991 B James Kellett[31] 1, 3–4 Darren Leung[26] Dries Vanthoor[31] 1 Robert De Haan[51] 3 Leyton Fourie[36] 4 David Pittard[36] 992 G Robert De Haan[31] 1 Christian Hahn[31] Ashley Sutton[31] S Christian Hahn[31] 3–4 Josh Rowledge[28] Bobby Thompson[35] 3 Ian Aguilera[36] 4 Jop Rappange[36]

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

• The grid for the 2026 24 Hours of Spa was reduced from 70 to 69 cars as a result of the withdrawal of the No. 81 Bronze Cup Era Motorsport Porsche. Two drivers, Jake Hill and Kyle Tilley, were set to drive the car.^[52]

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.

Rutronik Racing, last season's Endurance Cup winners and former Porsche partners, will switch to Lamborghini for 2026.^[21] The team will enter the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 in the Pro class, with Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler competing in all 10 rounds.^[21]

Boutsen VDS, following its split from Mercedes-AMG, will field two full-season Porsche entries.^[5] Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello are confirmed for one car, while Gilles Magnus and Robin Knutsson will compete in the Gold Cup with the other.^[5] Additional Porsche entries will be provided by Dinamic GT, Razoon – more than racing, and Ziggo Tempesta Racing.^[6][13][24]

Verstappen Racing returns for a second season, now competing with a Mercedes-AMG for the overall championship.^[7] Chris Lulham, last year's Gold Cup champion, will partner with Mercedes-AMG factory driver Daniel Juncadella.^[7] Winward Racing’s Mann-Filter No. 48 car returns for a third year with Lucas Auer and Maro Engel.^[8] The team will also field a Bronze Cup car for Marvin Dienst and Rinat Salikhov.^[8] GetSpeed will enter two full-season Mercedes-AMGs: the No. 6 Silver Cup with Anthony Bartone and Aurélien Panis, and the No. 12 Bronze Cup with Gabriel Rindone and Fabian Schiller.^[8] 2 Seas Motorsport will run the No. 222 Mercedes-AMG, driven by 2025 British GT champions Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss.^[8]

Valentino Rossi will return full-time in 2026, driving the No. 46 Team WRT BMW alongside Max Hesse.^[11] Last season, he competed only at Spa and Misano.^[53] In the No. 32 Pro car, reigning champions Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts will defend their title, joined by Jordan Pepper for the Endurance Cup.^[11] Pepper will also race full-time, sharing duties with the No. 31 Sprint Cup car.^[11] The No. 30 entry will feature Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro in the Silver Cup.^[11] Century Motorsport and Paradine Competition will each enter a full-season BMW in the Bronze Cup.^[17]

Comtoyou Racing will expand its European program with three full-season Aston Martin entries in 2026.^[10] Nicki Thiim will drive the No. 7 for overall honours.^[10] Kobe Pauwels will alternate between the No. 7 in Sprint Cup rounds and the No. 21 Silver Cup entry in Endurance rounds, sharing the No. 21 with Oliver Söderström who also competes the full season.^[10] Marcelo Tomasoni will drive the No. 11 Bronze Cup entry in all rounds.^[10] Walkenhorst Motorsport will also field Aston Martins: the No. 34 will compete in the Pro class for Endurance and Silver Cup for Sprint, while the No. 35 will remain in Silver.^[12]

CSA Racing will field two full-season McLaren entries.^[22] James Kell and Arthur Rougier will drive the No. 111 in both the Sprint and Endurance Gold Cup.^[22] Romain Andriolo will compete in the No. 555, entering the Gold Cup for Sprint and Silver Cup for Endurance, with Simon Gachet sharing driving duties across both cars.^[22] Garage 59 will also enter two McLarens: Marvin Kirchhöfer and Dean MacDonald in the No. 59 Pro car, and Tom Fleming and Louis Prette in the No. 58 Gold Cup entry.^[14] Optimum Motorsport will complete the McLaren line-up with Guilherme Oliveira and Mikey Porter contesting the Gold Cup.^[9]

Reigning Bronze Cup champions Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall will return in 2026, sharing the No. 74 Kessel Racing car after their dominant 2025 season.^[16] AF Corse will continue with Arthur Leclerc in the No. 50 and will also field two additional full-season Ferraris.^[6]

After ending its factory sports car program, Audi will return to the overall championship for the first time since 2024 with Eastalent Racing.^[20] Christopher Haase and Simon Reicher will drive the No. 84 in all 2026 rounds.^[20]

Sporting regulations

Pre-season

The pre-season prologue for the GT World Challenge commenced on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, at Circuit Paul Ricard. In a series first, this testing event is held just days before the season-opening six-hour race scheduled for Saturday night. The opening day featured two sessions, with all 59 entered cars taking to the track. Thomas Preining claimed the fastest overall time of the day during the morning session, clocking a 1m54.682s in the No. 80 Lionspeed GP Porsche. He narrowly beat Christopher Haase in the No. 84 Eastalent Racing Audi by a margin of 0.086s. In the afternoon, Ben Dörr led the field in the No. 23 Team RJN McLaren with a time of 1m54.762s, which secured him the second-fastest spot across the combined daily standings. He was followed by Loek Hartog in the No. 97 Rutronik Racing Porsche. Despite several yellow flags and brief stoppages, no major incidents occurred.^[56] Haase topped the standings on the final day with a time of 1m54.352s, besting Preining's previous pace by three-tenths. Alessio Picariello followed in the No. 2 Boutsen VDS Porsche, trailing Haase by 0.283s, while Ricardo Feller and Robert Renauer secured third and fourth for Porsche. The session was marred by two Aston Martin crashes: Jamie Day sustained heavy front-end damage at Turn 7, and Mari Boya hit the barriers after losing control exiting Turn 2.^[57]

Opening rounds

The season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard opened with a multi-car collision involving the No. 10 Boutsen VDS Porsche and the No. 555 CSA Racing McLaren, immediately eliminating both from the race. Shortly after, the No. 59 Garage 59 McLaren was tipped into a spin and dropped to the back of the field, prompting the first safety car deployment. The No. 48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter, having started from pole, then controlled the pace for much of the race. Near the end of the opening stint, the No. 7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin, driven by Marco Sørensen, suffered a puncture that forced an out-of-sequence pit stop. Two hours in, the No. 97 Rutronik Racing Porsche took over the Bronze Cup lead, where it would remain, ultimately placing 13th overall and first in class. As the final 60-minute stint began, the No. 48 Mercedes looked set for the win, but a late safety car for the stranded No. 93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Porsche closed the field. This allowed Nicki Thiim in the No. 7 Aston Martin to erase a three-second gap to the leader. With nine minutes to go, a minor mistake from Lucas Auer opened the door for Thiim, who overtook for the win. The No. 7 Aston Martin prevailed, followed by the No. 48 Mercedes and the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren, which also won the Gold Cup. Notably, the No. 32 Team WRT BMW surged from 10th to 4th, the No. 59 McLaren recovered to 5th, and the No. 9 Pure Rxcing Porsche clinched the Silver Cup win with a late move on the No. 30 Team WRT BMW.^[58]

The first race at Brands Hatch saw Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer take victory for AF Corse Ferrari. Although the No. 50 Ferrari finished second on track, it was promoted after the leader No. 3 Mercedes-AMG of Team Verstappen Racing received two post-race penalties. The No. 80 Lionspeed Porsche initially dominated from pole position but retired following a mid-race stop due to steering issues. This allowed the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG to take the lead. Despite a pit infringement penalty, driver Chris Lulham crossed the line first, but a subsequent yellow flag infringement dropped the car out of the points. The race also featured an early 15-minute red flag after the No. 10 Porsche crashed on the opening lap. Ultimately, the No. 2 Boutsen VDS Porsche took second, while the No. 32 Team WRT BMW rounded out the podium.^[59] The No. 51 Ferrari took the win in the Gold Cup, while the Silver victory went the way of the No. 5 McLaren. In race two, the No. 80 Porsche would claim a lights-to-flag victory. Drivers Bastian Buus and Feller secured the win after the car ran flawlessly, redeeming their retirement from the opening race. The No. 3 Mercedes-AMG, driven by Dani Juncadella and Lulham, finished in second place, trailing the winners by just over three seconds. Winward Racing's Maro Engel and Auer took the final podium spot in the No. 48 Mercedes-AMG, successfully defending third despite receiving a five-second penalty for a pit infringement. Further down the field, Silver Cup victory went to the No. 30 Team WRT BMW, while the No. 555 McLaren secured Gold Cup honours.^[60]

The race at Monza began with an immediate multi-car crash at Turn 1. A spin by the No. 59 McLaren eliminated the top five grid starters, including the pole-sitting No. 64 HRT Ford Racing entry. Following the incident, the No. 17 Mercedes-AMG Team Getspeed led the field but was quickly handed a three-minute stop-go penalty for triggering the initial crash. This penalty handed the lead to the championship leading No. 48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter car, which was embroiled in a close battle with the No. 2 Boutsen VDS Porsche. Mid-race strategy choices diverged during a safety car period, briefly giving the lead to the early-pitting No. 32 Team WRT BMW. With only 20 minutes remaining, two separate incidents, a crash and an engine failure, triggered a full-course yellow and a subsequent safety car. The interruption shuffled the running order, with the No. 66 Silver Cup Tresor Attempto Racing Audi in the lead after successfully jumping past the No. 87 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG in the final round of pit stops. At the final restart, the No. 87 Mercedes-AMG launched an immediate attack, but the No. 66 Audi defended its lead through Turn 1. Moments later, contact between the No. 32 BMW and the No. 9 Porsche triggered a major accident, taking out the chasing No. 87 Mercedes-AMG and bringing out the final safety car to effectively end the race. This allowed the crew of the No. 66 Audi to claim a surprising overall victory after starting 29th on the grid. The No. 48 Mercedes-AMG finished second, with the No. 555 McLaren taking third. In Gold, the No. 71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari won, with Bronze Cup honours inherited by the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari.^[61]

Race results

Rnd.		Circuit	Overall winners	Gold winners	Silver winners	Bronze winners
1		Circuit Paul Ricard	No. 7 Comtoyou Racing	No. 58 Garage 59	No. 9 Pure Rxcing	No. 97 Rutronik Racing
			Mattia Drudi Marco Sørensen Nicki Thiim	Tom Fleming Benjamin Goethe Louis Prette	Max Hofer Alex Malykhin Alexey Nesov	Antares Au Loek Hartog Riccardo Pera
2	R1	Brands Hatch	No. 50 AF Corse	No. 51 AF Corse	No. 5 Optimum Motorsport	Did not participate
			Arthur Leclerc Thomas Neubauer	Tommaso Mosca Matias Zagazeta	Guilherme Oliveira Mikey Porter
	R2		No. 80 Lionspeed GP	No. 555 CSA Racing	No. 30 Team WRT
			Bastian Buus Ricardo Feller	Romain Andriolo Simon Gachet	Matisse Lismont Ignacio Montenegro
3		Monza	No. 66 Tresor Attempto Racing	No. 71 Selected Car Racing	No. 66 Tresor Attempto Racing	No. 74 Kessel Racing
			Ariel Levi Rocco Mazzola Sebastian Øgaard	Simon Birch Malte Ebdrup Frederik Schandorff	Ariel Levi Rocco Mazzola Sebastian Øgaard	Dustin Blattner Dennis Marschall Lorenzo Patrese
4		Spa
5	R1	Misano
	R2
6	R1	Magny-Cours
	R2
7		Nürburgring
8	R1	Zandvoort
	R2
9	R1	Barcelona
	R2
10		Portimão

Scoring system

Championship points are awarded for the first ten positions in each race. The pole-sitter in each class also receives one point, and entries are required to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. Individual drivers are required to participate for a minimum of 25 minutes in order to earn championship points in any race. In the teams' standings, only the best-placed car for each team is classified.

Sprint Cup points

Monza, Nürburgring and Portimão points

Paul Ricard points