Winward Racing secured pole position for the opening round of the 2026 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup at Circuit Paul Ricard for the second year in a row, as Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel combined to narrowly edge out the competition in a remarkably close qualifying session. Despite Engel only placing 11th in the final segment, the trio’s consistency across all three sessions proved decisive, with their combined average lap of 1:53.622 enough to secure top spot.
Q1 – Closely fought opening session sets the tone as multiple manufacturers show early pace at Paul Ricard
The opening session of the 2026 GTWC Europe Qualifying of the first Endurance weekend at Paul Ricard immediately highlighted how competitive the field would be, as several manufacturers traded early benchmark laps while managing traffic and evolving track conditions. Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Aston Martin all showed strong pace, but no single entry managed to break clear.
Winward Racing focused on delivering a clean and controlled first run, placing themselves firmly in contention without overcommitting. Behind them, both Garage 59 McLaren entries looked particularly competitive, while the Comtoyou Aston Martin also established itself as a serious challenger early on.
Q2 – Red flag interruption fails to halt momentum as the fight for pole intensifies in GTWC Europe Qualifying at Paul Ricard
The second segment proved crucial as the field tightened further and lap times continued to fall. Winward Racing built on its Q1 foundation with another strong lap, keeping the #48 Mercedes-AMG at the sharp end of the combined standings.
However, the session was briefly interrupted when the #87 Winward Mercedes-AMG, driven by Gabriele Piana, stopped on track with a suspected loose wheel nut, bringing out a red flag. Once running resumed, teams returned to pushing the limits, with McLaren continuing to apply pressure and Aston Martin remaining firmly in the mix.
At this stage, the fight for pole remained completely open, with multiple crews separated by only a few hundredths of a second.
Q3 – Final runs seal the grid as Winward holds firm despite late pressure from McLaren and Aston Martin
The final segment ultimately decided the grid, with the last drivers carrying the full weight of expectation. While Engel was unable to match the outright pace at the front and finished 11th in the session, the earlier work done by his teammates ensured Winward Racing retained its advantage.
Coming closest to the top spot, the #58 Garage 59 McLaren of Thomas Fleming, Louis Prette and Benjamin Goethe secured Gold Cup pole and missed overall pole by just 0.054 seconds with a 1:53.676 average. Close behind, the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen and Nicki Thiim followed in third with a 1:53.686.
Chasing pack and class results
Another Garage 59 McLaren completed the top four, as Joseph Loake, Dean Macdonald and Marvin Kirchhoefer posted a 1:53.690 average, while the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche of Bastian Buus, Thomas Preining and Ricardo Feller rounded out the top five with a 1:53.712. The top five were covered by less than a tenth of a second, underlining the intensity of the session.
Further back, the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG of Maxime Martin, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller finished sixth, with Schiller setting the fastest individual lap of qualifying, a 1:53.049 that stood as the outright benchmark.
BMW endured a more difficult session, with reigning champions Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts finishing 10th in the best-placed BMW M4 GT3 Evo. Meanwhile, Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll placed 17th in his segment on his GT3 debut, leaving the #18 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin 15th overall.
In the class battles, the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin of Kobe Pauwels, Oliver Söderström and Sébastien Baud secured Silver Cup pole, while the #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche of Ralf Bohn, Huub van Eijndhoven and Robert Renauer led the Bronze Cup field by a clear margin.
Only 58 cars took part in qualifying after the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin withdrew following a heavy crash for Jamie Day during the Prologue.
With the grid now set, attention turns to the six-hour race, where consistency across long stints will once again prove decisive.
2026 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup: Paul Ricard: Qualifying: Full results
