Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed topped the opening official paid test session for the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimão, setting a 1:42.974 to lead a Mercedes-AMG one-two ahead of Max Verstappen’s #3 entry.
The #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, which Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller share, finished just 0.102 seconds ahead of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. HRT Ford Racing followed in third, only 0.128 seconds away from the benchmark, while Eastalent Racing and Garage 59 completed the top five.
Further back, Dinamic GT led the Silver Cup from sixth overall, while Garage 59 topped the Gold Cup in ninth. Winward Racing recorded the fastest Bronze Cup time in 11th, completing a competitive opening session that saw 60 cars set representative lap times ahead of Saturday’s three-hour season finale.
GetSpeed leads closely contested Mercedes-AMG one-two
GetSpeed established the early benchmark at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with its #17 Mercedes-AMG recording a 1:42.974 during Thursday’s opening two-hour session. Aron, Götz and Schiller finished at the head of the 60-car classification, giving the German manufacturer an encouraging start to the final GTWC Europe weekend of 2026.
However, the team’s advantage remained narrow as Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing emerged as its closest challenger. The #3 Mercedes-AMG, shared by Verstappen, Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, recorded a 1:43.076 to finish second overall, only 0.102 seconds behind GetSpeed.
The result placed two Mercedes-AMG entries at the top of the classification, although several rival manufacturers remained close enough to challenge. The leading ten cars finished within 0.449 seconds of GetSpeed’s benchmark, underlining the competitive nature of the field as teams began preparing for qualifying and the race.
GetSpeed’s performance also provided a strong foundation for Aron, Götz and Schiller, who will aim to convert their early pace into a competitive result during the final Endurance Cup race of the campaign.
Verstappen Racing begins debut weekend in second
Verstappen Racing made an encouraging start to the weekend as four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen prepared for his first GTWC Europe appearance. The Dutch driver joins Lulham and Barnicoat in the #3 Mercedes-AMG, replacing regular drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
The changes to Verstappen Racing’s Portimão line-up followed a scheduling conflict with the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Barcelona round. Juncadella and Gounon will fulfil their Hypercar commitments in Spain, leaving Lulham as the only member of the team’s regular Endurance Cup combination available for the finale.
Despite the changes, the #3 Mercedes-AMG immediately demonstrated competitive pace. Its 1:43.076 placed the car ahead of several established factory-supported crews, including the already-crowned Endurance Cup champions at Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter.
The performance offered Verstappen Racing an encouraging start, particularly after the team’s first Endurance Cup podium at the Nürburgring. Nevertheless, the opening test provided only an early indication of the competitive order, with further practice and qualifying sessions still to come.
HRT Ford leads challengers as Eastalent and Garage 59 impress
HRT Ford Racing emerged as the closest challenger to the leading Mercedes-AMG entries, with Arjun Maini, Fabio Scherer and Thomas Drouet securing third overall in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO. Their 1:43.102 placed the team just 0.026 seconds behind Verstappen Racing and 0.128 seconds away from the fastest time.
Eastalent Racing followed in fourth, with Christopher Haase, Simon Reicher and Markus Winkelhock recording a 1:43.194 aboard the #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. The Austrian team’s performance placed Audi within 0.220 seconds of the benchmark and established it among the leading Pro Cup contenders.
Garage 59 completed the top five through Joseph Loake, Dean Macdonald and Jack Hawksworth. Their #59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO recorded a 1:43.236, leaving the British outfit only 0.262 seconds behind GetSpeed.
The close margins demonstrated the strength of the leading entries, with Mercedes-AMG, Ford, Audi and McLaren occupying the first five positions. Porsche subsequently joined those manufacturers inside the top six through Dinamic GT, ensuring that five different marques featured prominently near the front.
Dinamic GT tops Silver Cup from sixth overall
Dinamic GT delivered one of the standout class performances, taking the Silver Cup lead while placing sixth overall in the #54 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.
Tanart Sathienthirakul, Francesco Simonazzi, Angus Whiteside and Loek Hartog combined for a best time of 1:43.241, leaving the team just 0.267 seconds behind the overall benchmark. The result also placed Dinamic ahead of several Pro Cup entries, including Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter and Team WRT.
Tresor Attempto Racing followed in second among the Silver Cup competitors, with Sebastian Øgaard, Ariel Levi and Rocco Mazzola recording a 1:43.374 in the #66 Audi. The team finished eighth overall, only 0.133 seconds behind Dinamic.
Paradine Competition completed the Silver Cup top three through Christian Hahn, Josh Rowledge, Daryl De Leon and Robert De Haan. Their #992 BMW M4 GT3 EVO secured 12th overall with a 1:43.454, just 0.213 seconds away from the leading Silver Cup Porsche.
The strong performances placed three Silver Cup entries inside the overall top 12, highlighting the category’s competitiveness ahead of the Endurance Cup finale.
Garage 59 takes early Gold Cup advantage
Garage 59 also enjoyed a competitive opening session in the Gold Cup, with its #58 McLaren taking the class lead and ninth overall.
Thomas Fleming, Louis Prette and Benjamin Goethe recorded a 1:43.383, placing the team 0.409 seconds behind GetSpeed and securing another top-ten result for the British outfit. With the sister #59 McLaren finishing fifth, both Garage 59 entries demonstrated promising pace during the opening test.
Tresor Attempto Racing followed in second within the Gold Cup, with Alex Aka, Dylan Pereira and Andrea Frassineti placing 20th overall in the #99 Audi. Their 1:43.611 left them 0.228 seconds behind Garage 59’s class benchmark.
The Audi crew entered Portimão with momentum after Aka and Pereira secured a dramatic overall victory in Barcelona Sprint Cup Race 1. Their success in difficult wet conditions provided a memorable conclusion to the opening race of the Sprint Cup finale.
Meanwhile, Boutsen VDS completed the leading three in the Gold Cup through Alessandro Ghiretti, Robin Knutsson and Gilles Magnus. The #10 Porsche recorded a 1:43.687 to finish 25th overall, leaving the class’s three fastest entries separated by 0.304 seconds.
Winward Racing edges close Bronze Cup battle
Winward Racing secured the fastest Bronze Cup time, with Marvin Dienst, Gabriele Piana and Rinat Salikhov placing 11th overall in the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
Their 1:43.447 left the team only 0.473 seconds behind GetSpeed’s overall benchmark and just 0.024 seconds outside the top ten. The performance also gave Mercedes-AMG the early advantage in another category after the manufacturer’s Pro Cup entries occupied the leading two overall positions.
However, Winward faced close competition from GetSpeed Team Dubai, which finished second in Bronze and 16th overall. Gabriel Rindone, Mikaël Grenier and Tom Kalender recorded a 1:43.508, leaving them only 0.061 seconds behind the class leader.
Oman Racing by Century Motorsport followed just 0.002 seconds further back, with Calan Williams, Javier Sagrera and Ahmad Al Harthy recording a 1:43.510 aboard the #42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
The leading three Bronze Cup entries therefore finished within 0.063 seconds of one another, setting up a potentially close battle as teams prepare for the final Endurance Cup race.
Mann-Filter seventh as Team WRT completes top ten
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter began its final Endurance Cup weekend with the seventh-fastest time, as Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz recorded a 1:43.295 in the #48 Mercedes-AMG.
The trio entered Portimão having already secured the 2026 Endurance Cup Drivers’ Championship at the Nürburgring, where fourth place proved sufficient to put the title beyond the reach of their rivals. Their campaign has featured remarkable consistency, including second-place finishes at Paul Ricard, Monza and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Although the Endurance Cup Drivers’ title is already settled, Mann-Filter remains involved in the remaining Teams’ Championship battles. The team’s seventh-place test result left it 0.321 seconds behind GetSpeed as it began preparations for the final race.
Meanwhile, Team WRT completed the top ten through Kelvin van der Linde, Jordan Pepper and Charles Weerts. Their #32 BMW recorded a 1:43.423, placing 0.449 seconds behind the leading Mercedes-AMG.
The sister #46 BMW, shared by Valentino Rossi, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen, finished 28th overall with a 1:43.736. ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW of Philipp Eng, Jake Dennis and Marco Wittmann secured 14th, giving the manufacturer three entries inside the leading 28 positions.
Ferrari and other title contenders remain further back
Ferrari’s fastest representative finished 18th overall, with the #50 AF Corse entry of Lilou Wadoux, Arthur Leclerc and Albert Costa recording a 1:43.537. The trio ended the session 0.563 seconds behind GetSpeed, while the sister #51 Ferrari of Tommaso Mosca, Lorenzo Ferrari and Nicola Lacorte placed 35th.
Elsewhere, several prominent championship-winning crews finished outside the leading positions. Lionspeed GP’s #80 Porsche, which Ricardo Feller shares with Bastian Buus and Thomas Preining, recorded a 1:43.676 to place 24th overall.
Feller and Buus arrived in Portugal as the newly crowned Sprint Cup Drivers’ champions following their success at Barcelona, while Preining joined them after claiming the 2026 DTM title. Despite the trio’s accomplishments, the opening test left Lionspeed 0.702 seconds away from the fastest time.
Comtoyou Racing’s #7 Aston Martin also remained outside the leading group, with Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim and Ross Gunn recording a 1:43.779 for 33rd. The team will nevertheless aim to carry its Nürburgring-winning momentum into the final Endurance Cup race, where several championship positions remain unresolved.
Portimão prepares for decisive GTWC Europe finale
The opening test provided an encouraging start for Mercedes-AMG, with GetSpeed setting the pace ahead of Verstappen Racing. However, the narrow margins throughout the classification suggest that several manufacturers could challenge for the leading positions as the weekend progresses.
Dinamic GT, Garage 59 and Winward Racing also demonstrated competitive pace in the Silver, Gold and Bronze Cup categories, respectively. With 60 entries recording times and several class leaders featuring prominently in the overall classification, the opening session offered an early indication of a closely matched field.
Teams will now continue their preparations through Friday’s practice sessions before qualifying determines the starting order for Saturday’s three-hour race. The final Endurance Cup contest will begin at 17:00 local time on 17 October, concluding the 2026 GTWC Europe season.
Several major championship battles remain undecided, including the combined Overall Teams’ title, where Team WRT holds a narrow five-point advantage over Winward Racing. The Portimão season finale will also determine the remaining Gold and Bronze Cup honours.
For now, GetSpeed holds the early advantage, but the small gaps to Verstappen Racing, HRT Ford and the other leading competitors suggest that the fight for pole position and victory remains open.
The full Portimão Official Paid Test Session 1 classification confirms GetSpeed’s 1:42.974 as the fastest time, with the leading ten separated by less than half a second.
