Fabian Schiller put Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed back at the top of the classification during Free Practice 2 (FP2) for the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimão. The German recorded a 1:42.988 in the #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to lead Friday afternoon’s 90-minute session at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Dylan Pereira emerged as his closest challenger, placing the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi second overall and securing the fastest Gold Cup time. Meanwhile, Maxime Oosten delivered an impressive third-place performance for HRT Ford Racing, leading the Silver Cup category.
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing followed in fourth through Chris Lulham, while Mikaël Grenier completed the overall top five and topped the Bronze Cup for GetSpeed Team Dubai. Consequently, Mercedes-AMG occupied three of the leading five positions as teams completed their final practice preparations ahead of qualifying.
Schiller returns GetSpeed to the top in Portimão FP2
Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed regained its position at the front after a less prominent showing during Friday morning’s opening Free Practice session. Schiller recorded the fastest FP2 lap of 1:42.988 aboard the #17 Mercedes-AMG he shares with Ralf Aron and Maximilian Götz, establishing a 0.096-second advantage over the rest of the field.
The performance continued the team’s competitive start to the weekend. GetSpeed had already topped Thursday’s opening official paid test with a 1:42.974, narrowly beating Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. However, the team subsequently slipped to sixth during FP1 despite recording a 1:42.795, which left it 0.152 seconds behind Christopher Haase’s session-leading Audi.
Although Schiller’s FP2 benchmark fell short of the outright pace from the morning session, his performance demonstrated GetSpeed’s continued competitiveness across the different practice sessions. The German also returned to the top of the classification after previously leading practice at the Nürburgring and Circuit Paul Ricard earlier in the Endurance Cup campaign.
Furthermore, Schiller’s result contributed to another strong session for Mercedes-AMG. With three cars inside the overall top five, the manufacturer strengthened its position among the leading contenders ahead of qualifying and Saturday’s three-hour season finale.
Pereira keeps Tresor Attempto Racing at the front of the Gold Cup
Tresor Attempto Racing continued its encouraging Portimão weekend as Pereira claimed second overall and led the Gold Cup classification. The Luxembourger recorded a 1:43.084 in the #99 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, finishing just 0.096 seconds behind Schiller.
Pereira shares the Audi with Alex Aka and Andrea Frassineti, who have shown strong pace throughout the event. Earlier on Friday, Aka secured third overall during FP1 with a 1:42.686, also leading the Gold Cup. The team’s ability to feature near the front in consecutive sessions provided further encouragement ahead of qualifying.
The performance also followed Tresor Attempto Racing’s successful conclusion to the Sprint Cup season at Barcelona, where Aka and Pereira secured their maiden overall victory in challenging wet conditions. Their Portimão results suggest that the team has maintained its competitive form heading into the final Endurance Cup race of 2026.
Further down the Gold Cup order, ROWE Racing finished second in class and 24th overall. The #998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Ugo de Wilde, Tim Tramnitz and Jens Klingmann recorded a 1:43.658, leaving the crew 0.574 seconds behind Pereira.
Boutsen VDS followed in third within the category, with the #10 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO finishing 30th overall on a 1:43.748. Meanwhile, Garage 59’s #58 McLaren finished 45th overall with a 1:44.100.
The latter two championship contenders now face an important qualifying session. ROWE Racing enters the finale with a three-point advantage over Garage 59 in the Endurance Cup Gold Drivers’ Championship, leaving both crews with valuable honours still at stake.
Oosten leads Silver Cup as HRT Ford Racing impresses
HRT Ford Racing delivered another standout performance as Oosten secured third overall and the fastest Silver Cup time. The Dutch driver recorded a 1:43.168 in the #65 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, placing him 0.180 seconds behind Schiller.
Oosten shares the car with Nicolas Baert and Eduardo Coseteng, who arrive in Portugal following their Silver Cup victory at the Nürburgring. Their latest performance continued that momentum and placed the crew ahead of several established Pro Cup entries.
Moreover, HRT Ford Racing enjoyed a strong afternoon across both of its entries. The #64 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, which Arjun Maini, Fabio Scherer and Thomas Drouet share, finished seventh overall with a 1:43.287. The result placed the Pro Cup entry just 0.119 seconds behind its Silver Cup counterpart and 0.299 seconds away from the overall benchmark.
Team RJN emerged as the second-fastest Silver Cup competitor, with its #23 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO finishing tenth overall. Horatio Fitz-Simon, Maxwell Lynn and Ben Dörr recorded a 1:43.443, leaving them 0.275 seconds behind Oosten.
Dinamic GT completed the Silver Cup top three in 27th overall, recording a 1:43.693 aboard its #54 Porsche.
Meanwhile, Team WRT experienced a more challenging afternoon in the category. After Ignacio Montenegro topped the Silver Cup during FP1, the #30 BMW of Montenegro, Matisse Lismont and Amaury Cordeel finished 33rd overall with a 1:43.798.
Nevertheless, the trio has already secured the Endurance Cup Silver Drivers’ Championship and will aim to conclude its successful campaign with another strong result on Saturday.
Verstappen Racing climbs to fourth as Lulham sets the pace
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing returned to the front of the classification during FP2, with Lulham placing the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO fourth overall. The British driver recorded a 1:43.229, finishing 0.241 seconds behind Schiller.
The result marked a significant change in position from the morning session, when Max Verstappen finished 20th overall with a 1:43.046. Although the team’s FP2 lap was slower than its earlier benchmark, the fourth-place classification demonstrated how considerably the running order changed between sessions.
Verstappen and Ben Barnicoat also completed further running in the #3 Mercedes-AMG as the revised driver combination continued its preparations for the three-hour race.
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion is making his GTWC Europe debut at Portimão after a scheduling clash with the FIA World Endurance Championship forced regular Verstappen Racing drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon to miss the finale. Barnicoat subsequently joined Verstappen and Lulham to complete the line-up.
The team’s return to the leading positions also followed its impressive opening test, where it finished second overall behind GetSpeed. Consequently, the #3 crew has now placed inside the overall top four in two of the weekend’s three sessions.
Verstappen has already outlined his ambition to challenge for victory at Portimão, while acknowledging the adjustments that GT3 endurance racing requires. Friday afternoon’s performance provided further encouragement as the Dutchman continued gaining experience alongside his new teammates.
Grenier tops closely contested Bronze Cup for GetSpeed Team Dubai
GetSpeed Team Dubai completed Mercedes-AMG’s impressive top-five showing as Grenier secured fifth overall and the fastest Bronze Cup time. The Canadian recorded a 1:43.263 in the #12 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, finishing just 0.275 seconds behind Schiller.
Grenier shares the car with Gabriel Rindone and Tom Kalender, with the trio producing a competitive result against both their class rivals and several Pro Cup entries.
However, Paradine Competition remained exceptionally close. The #991 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of James Kellett, Darren Leung and Robert de Haan finished sixth overall with a 1:43.266, missing Grenier’s class-leading benchmark by only 0.003 seconds.
The narrow margin placed the two Bronze Cup entries immediately behind the leading Pro and Gold and Silver Cup runners, highlighting the competitiveness of the category ahead of qualifying.
Oman Racing by Century Motorsport completed the Bronze Cup top three. Javier Sagrera, Ahmad Al Harthy and Calan Williams recorded a 1:43.565 in the #42 BMW, placing the team 15th overall and 0.302 seconds behind Grenier.
Elsewhere, Thursday’s Bronze Test leader 2Seas Motorsport finished 35th overall with its #222 Mercedes-AMG, while Comtoyou Racing’s #11 Aston Martin dropped to 40th after Valentin Hasse-Clot had led the category and finished seventh overall in FP1.
With the Bronze Cup Drivers’ Championship still open, the latest changes in the classification add further interest to Saturday’s decisive race.
Haase slips to eighth as Pro Cup order changes
Behind the leading Mercedes-AMG, Audi and Ford entries, several manufacturers remained competitive despite considerable changes in the overall order compared with FP1.
Christopher Haase, who topped Friday morning’s session by just 0.004 seconds, finished eighth overall for Eastalent Racing. The #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II recorded a 1:43.350, leaving the team 0.362 seconds behind Schiller.
Lionspeed GP followed in ninth with its #80 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO. Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus recorded a 1:43.423, securing Porsche’s strongest overall result during the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Rutronik Racing led the Lamborghini entries in 11th overall. The #96 Lamborghini Temerario GT3 of Patric Niederhauser, Marco Mapelli and Luca Engstler recorded a 1:43.449, placing the team 0.461 seconds behind GetSpeed.
Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter followed in 12th with a 1:43.470. Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz improved their position considerably after finishing 31st during FP1, although their latest lap remained 0.482 seconds away from Schiller.
The trio has already secured the Endurance Cup Drivers’ Championship, but Mercedes-AMG remains involved in the remaining teams’ championship battles.
The rest of the field
Further back, natural elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport placed its #34 Aston Martin 13th overall, while Boutsen VDS secured 14th with its #2 Porsche. AF Corse emerged as Ferrari’s leading representative in 16th, with Albert Costa, Arthur Leclerc and Lilou Wadoux recording a 1:43.569 in the #50 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO.
Team WRT, meanwhile, experienced a less competitive session with its leading Pro Cup entries. The #32 BMW of Kelvin van der Linde, Jordan Pepper and Charles Weerts finished 21st overall with a 1:43.629 after taking second during FP1. The #46 BMW of Valentino Rossi, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen followed in 49th, recording a 1:44.150.
Nevertheless, WRT enters the weekend with a five-point advantage over Winward Racing in the combined Overall Teams’ Championship. The Belgian outfit will therefore aim to recover its earlier pace ahead of qualifying, where stronger starting positions could prove important for Saturday’s title-deciding race.
GRT Lamborghini stops early as FP2 runs without major interruptions
Despite the competitive 61-car field, Friday afternoon’s session produced relatively few incidents.
The most significant interruption to an individual team’s running involved the #63 TGI Team by GRT Lamborghini Temerario GT3, which came to a halt during the early stages of FP2.
Franck Perera, Maximilian Paul and Mirko Bortolotti share the Lamborghini, which did not return to the circuit after the stoppage. The team’s 1:44.631 placed it 60th overall, leaving the crew with limited running ahead of qualifying.
Otherwise, the session continued without major incidents, allowing the remaining teams to work through their preparation programmes.
All 61 entries recorded lap times, with the fastest ten finishing within 0.455 seconds of Schiller. The leading 21 cars remained within 0.641 seconds, while the entire field finished within 1.785 seconds of the benchmark.
These relatively small margins reinforced the importance of securing a clear lap during qualifying, particularly with traffic likely to influence lap times across such a large field.
Qualifying next as GTWC Europe approaches Portimão finale
With both Free Practice sessions complete, teams will turn their attention towards qualifying on Friday, 16 October, at 17:55 local Portuguese time (GMT+1).
Schiller and Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed will enter the session with the strongest momentum from FP2, although the changing order across Friday’s practice sessions suggests that several manufacturers could challenge for the leading starting positions.
Tresor Attempto Racing has also demonstrated consistent front-running pace in the Gold Cup, while HRT Ford Racing and GetSpeed Team Dubai will aim to build on their respective Silver and Bronze Cup performances.
Meanwhile, Team WRT and Winward Racing remain focussed on their battle for the combined Overall Teams’ Championship, alongside the remaining Gold and Bronze Cup title contenders.
The 2026 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup season finale will take place on Saturday, 17 October, with the three-hour race beginning at 17:00 local time.
For now, GetSpeed holds the FP2 advantage through Schiller’s 1:42.988, but with 61 cars competing and several title battles still unresolved, the final qualifying session promises another close contest at Portimão.
