Comtoyou Racing secured a sensational late race victory in the GTWC Europe 2026 season opener at Circuit Paul Ricard, as the No. 007 Aston Martin of Marco Sørensen, Nicki Thiim and Mattia Drudi overturned the odds in a dramatic closing stint.
The trio capitalised on a late Safety Car to deny the dominant No. 48 Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Lucas Auer, which had controlled much of the six-hour Endurance Cup contest.
Mercedes-AMG controls early stages
Engel started from pole and immediately faced pressure from Benjamin Goethe in the No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren. He resisted the early challenge and quickly built a lead after a first-lap Safety Car neutralised the race following a heavy incident on the pit straight.
The No. 555 CSA Racing McLaren and the No. 10 Boutsen VDS Porsche suffered significant impacts with the wall, though both drivers emerged unharmed.
Once the race resumed, Engel, Stolz and Auer dictated the pace at the front. The Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter entry maintained control through the opening hours and looked firmly on course for victory.
Aston Martin recovers from early setback
The winning Aston Martin appeared out of contention early on after it suffered a puncture during the opening stint. Sørensen brought the car into the pits earlier than planned, forcing the team onto an alternative strategy.
Despite that setback, the Comtoyou Racing crew maintained strong pace throughout the race. The trio steadily worked their way back into contention and moved into second position before the decisive late intervention.
Late Safety Car turns the race
A Safety Car in the final hour, triggered by the stranded No. 93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing Porsche, reset the order and erased the Mercedes-AMG’s advantage.
Auer led Thiim by just over three seconds at the restart with less than half an hour remaining. Thiim immediately applied pressure, cutting the gap while navigating traffic.
The Dane launched his first attack at the end of the Mistral Straight, but Auer defended firmly. One lap later, however, a small error from the Mercedes-AMG driver allowed Thiim to dive past and take the lead.
Thiim then controlled the final laps to secure victory by just 0.806 seconds, sealing Aston Martin’s first win in the series in nearly two years.
Battles rage behind the leaders
The No. 58 Garage 59 McLaren of Goethe, Louis Prette and Tom Fleming completed the podium after leading the Gold Cup category throughout the race.
Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts and Jordan Pepper climbed to fourth as the No. 32 Team WRT BMW’s pace improved after nightfall.
The No. 59 Garage 59 McLaren delivered one of the standout drives of the race. After dropping to the back following an early spin, the crew recovered to finish fifth, capping a remarkable comeback.
Strategy and setbacks shape the order
Several contenders fell out of contention despite showing early promise. The No. 80 Lionspeed GP Porsche, which had surged forward with an impressive move in the second hour, later developed a steering issue that left it unable to compete.
Meanwhile, other Mercedes-AMG entries could not match the pace of the leading car. The No. 17 GetSpeed machine and the No. 3 Verstappen-backed entry both dropped down the order and finished seventh and tenth respectively.
Further back, the No. 18 Comtoyou Aston Martin, featuring Lance Stroll on his GT3 debut, struggled with multiple penalties and ultimately finished 48th.
It also proved to be a difficult outing for the new Lamborghini Temerario GT3, with reliability issues affecting both entries.
Class victories decided in closing stages
Rutronik Racing claimed a commanding win in the Bronze Cup with its No. 97 Porsche, which led from mid-distance and finished well clear of its rivals in 13th overall.
The Silver Cup produced a closely fought contest, with the No. 9 Pure Rxcing Porsche of Aleksei Nesov, Aliaksandr Malykhin and Max Hofer securing victory after a late pass on the No. 30 WRT BMW.
A dramatic start to the GTWC Europe season
For much of the race, Mercedes-AMG looked set to claim a commanding victory. However, the late Safety Car transformed the contest and handed Comtoyou Racing a final opportunity.
Thiim seized that moment decisively, delivering a bold and calculated drive to complete a remarkable turnaround.
The result not only secured an unlikely victory but also set the tone for what promises to be a fiercely competitive GTWC Europe season.
