GEDLICH Racing will again bring its Winter Series programme to Portugal and Spain in early 2027, offering GT, GT4 and Formula 4 competition across some of the Iberian Peninsula’s leading circuits.
Running from January through March, the programme will combine the GT Winter Series, GT4 Winter Series and Formula Winter Series with extensive testing opportunities. Portimão and Estoril will host the opening events in Portugal before the campaign moves into Spain for rounds at Jerez, Barcelona and Valencia.
The concept continues to provide teams and drivers with competitive running during the traditional European off-season while also allowing new line-ups, machinery and young drivers to prepare for their main 2027 campaigns.
Winter Series continues to grow
The Winter Series initially developed as an opportunity for teams to continue testing during the colder European months but has since evolved into a substantial racing platform.
GEDLICH Racing has built the programme around professional organisation, significant track time and access to circuits where weather conditions allow teams to run more consistently through winter.
The umbrella now covers several different forms of competition, with separate championships aimed at GT machinery and junior single-seater drivers.
Its format also creates an opportunity for teams to evaluate new driver combinations and technical developments under genuine race conditions rather than relying solely on private testing.
GT Winter Series maintains open approach
The GT Winter Series will again accommodate a wide variety of machinery in 2027.
GT3 cars form part of a field that can also include Porsche Cup machinery, Ferrari Challenge entries, Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars and vehicles from other one-make championships.
GEDLICH Racing will continue its manufacturer-independent approach, allowing both current-generation cars and older specifications to compete where they can fit within the sporting structure.
The championship particularly targets gentleman drivers, although professional competitors can also participate. The sporting regulations aim to balance the different driver combinations and machinery while maintaining competitive racing across the field.
That flexibility remains one of the defining characteristics of the series and allows teams to use machinery that may not fit easily within more restrictive championship structures.
GT4 Winter Series provides dedicated platform
GT4 machinery will continue to race separately through the GT4 Winter Series.
The championship gives the category its own competitive environment while retaining the wider Winter Series emphasis on development and track time.
International teams and multiple manufacturers have helped create increasingly competitive grids, with the category catering to both gentleman drivers and younger competitors looking to establish themselves in GT racing.
For teams, the winter schedule also provides an opportunity to work with new drivers before the start of their regular European campaigns.
Formula Winter Series expands race format
The Formula Winter Series will once again form the single-seater component of GEDLICH Racing’s programme.
Its primary focus remains on young drivers preparing for European Formula 4 competition, giving them additional race mileage before many national and regional championships begin.
For 2027, GEDLICH Racing plans to introduce an evolved tournament-style format designed to increase the amount of competitive running available.
The championship has become an increasingly important pre-season option for Formula 4 teams, particularly because drivers can build race experience rather than limiting their preparation to testing.
Running on circuits also used by other major European championships gives young competitors another opportunity to learn tracks they could encounter later in their careers.
Portugal opens 2027 campaign
Portugal will host the opening stages of the Winter Series in January.
Portimão and Estoril will begin the programme before teams travel into Spain for the remainder of the winter schedule.
Jerez, Barcelona and Valencia complete the selection of venues, giving competitors a mixture of circuit characteristics across the five locations.
The calendar also allows teams to remain on the Iberian Peninsula for an extended period rather than travelling repeatedly between winter tests elsewhere in Europe.
That concentration of events forms an important part of the Winter Series concept, combining racing, testing and driver development over several weeks.
More than championship competition
GEDLICH Racing has increasingly positioned the Winter Series as more than a collection of individual race meetings.
Teams from national and international championships use the events to prepare cars and drivers for the upcoming season, while the paddock provides an opportunity for new partnerships and line-ups to develop.
The extended programme also gives drivers more time to work with engineers and teams than they may receive during a conventional race weekend.
For young competitors, that can mean additional mileage and experience before moving into their primary championship. For gentleman drivers and GT teams, it offers competitive running during a period when many European series remain inactive.
2027 season begins before spring
The 2027 programme will again give GT3, GT4, Cup and Formula 4 competitors an alternative to waiting for the conventional European season to begin.
With five circuits across Portugal and Spain, the Winter Series combines competition with testing and development at a time when much of northern and central European motorsport remains in its off-season.
For GEDLICH Racing, the formula remains straightforward: use favourable Iberian conditions to give teams and drivers meaningful racing mileage before the rest of Europe’s season gets underway.
