The 2026 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS season concluded at Shanghai International Circuit with a decisive weekend that crowned Lu Wei as the overall Drivers’ Champion and Absolute Racing as the Teams’ Champion.
Harmony Racing’s Liu Kaishun and Chen Weian claimed their third victory of the season in Saturday’s opening race, while Lu and Laurin Heinrich recovered from eighth on the grid to secure a crucial third-place finish for Origine Motorsport. Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti could only manage seventh for Absolute Racing, allowing Lu to extend his championship advantage from five to 14 points heading into Sunday’s finale.
Heinrich subsequently converted pole position into a commanding opening stint in Race 2 before handing the #11 Porsche to Lu, who completed a 13.133-second victory to secure his long-awaited championship. Huang and Ghiretti finished second, while Absolute Racing secured the Teams’ crown despite missing out on the Drivers’ title.
Lu had entered Shanghai with the narrowest of advantages following an extraordinary Beijing weekend. Huang and Ghiretti’s remarkable comeback victory in the Chinese capital had reduced his lead from 22 points to just five, ensuring that the final two races would determine the championship.
2026 GTWC Asia: Shanghai: Friday running: Nandy establishes early advantage
The Shanghai weekend began with Akash Nandy setting the benchmark during Friday’s opening test session. Driving Absolute Racing’s #29 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 without a co-driver, the Malaysian produced a 2:00.074 to finish 0.124s ahead of Climax Racing’s Elias Seppänen.
Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai followed in third for FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom, while Absolute Racing’s Alessio Picariello and Kevin Tse completed the leading four. Huang and Ghiretti finished sixth as the principal championship contenders began preparing for the final two races.
Nandy maintained his advantage during Official Practice at Shanghai, recording a 2:00.715 on the opening laps of the session. His two quickest attempts differed by just 0.014s, demonstrating the consistency that would become a feature of his weekend.
Seppänen again finished second, 0.333s behind the Lamborghini, while Heinrich moved the championship-leading Origine Porsche into third. Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Liang Jiatong and Melvin Moh followed in fourth, ahead of the GTO with KRC BMW of Brian Lee and Maxime Oosten.
The session also marked an encouraging beginning for BMW factory driver Tim Tramnitz, who placed sixth on his GTWC Asia debut alongside Ruan Cunfan.
2026 GTWC Asia: Shanghai: Pre-Qualifying: Heinrich moves Origine to the front
Heinrich responded during Friday afternoon’s Pre-Qualifying session, putting Origine Motorsport at the head of the field with a 2:00.376. The German finished just 0.015s ahead of Nandy, bringing the championship-leading Porsche back into contention after the Lamborghini’s earlier dominance.
Craft-Bamboo Racing continued its competitive Silver-Am preparations as Moh and Liang secured third with a 2:00.483. Team 5ZIGEN’s Takayuki Aoki and Atsushi Miyake followed in fourth, while Climax Racing’s Li Lichao and Seppänen completed the leading five.
The narrow margin between Heinrich and Nandy highlighted how competitive the field remained, particularly with several manufacturers challenging near the front. Meanwhile, the official Pre-Qualifying classification placed Huang and Ghiretti eighth, more than six-tenths behind their championship rivals.
Although the Absolute Racing pairing had demonstrated strong pace throughout the season, their position suggested that qualifying would prove particularly important in determining whether they could challenge Lu for the title.
With 50 points still available across the final two races, the five remaining championship contenders entered Saturday knowing that even a relatively small difference in qualifying performance could influence the championship’s outcome.
2026 GTWC Asia: Shanghai: Qualifying: Nandy and Heinrich split pole positions
Saturday’s qualifying sessions produced contrasting results for the championship contenders, with Nandy securing pole for Race 1 before Heinrich established a new GT3 lap record around Shanghai International Circuit to claim the final pole position of the season.
The two drivers had already demonstrated strong pace throughout Friday, and their performances continued to set the standard as the field prepared for the decisive races.
Q1: Nandy denies Liu pole as championship contenders struggle
Nandy initially established the benchmark during the opening 15-minute session before Harmony Racing’s Liu Kaishun briefly moved ahead in the #96 Ferrari 296 GT3. However, the Malaysian responded with a 1:59.833, reclaiming the top position by 0.158s and securing his first pole of the weekend.
Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Melvin Moh qualified third and secured Silver-Am pole, but a three-place grid penalty subsequently dropped the Mercedes-AMG to sixth. Li Lichao therefore inherited third ahead of Cheng Congfu and Anthony Liu, while Huang and Lu qualified seventh and eighth respectively.
Zhou Bihuang also strengthened his Am championship challenge by securing class pole in ninth overall, immediately ahead of his closest title rival Liu Hangcheng.
The opening Shanghai qualifying classification therefore gave Liu Kaishun an opportunity to challenge for victory, while the leading Pro-Am championship contenders faced the prospect of recovering through the field.
Q2: Heinrich produces record-breaking lap to secure finale pole
Nandy appeared capable of completing an unprecedented qualifying double after establishing an early advantage over Heinrich in Q2. However, the Porsche factory driver responded with a remarkable final attempt, recording a 1:58.860 to secure pole by 0.328s.
Heinrich’s lap also established the fastest GT3 time recorded around Shanghai International Circuit across any championship, demonstrating Origine Motorsport’s pace ahead of the title decider.
Nandy completed the front row, while Seppänen secured third for Climax Racing. Yu Kuai followed in fourth, ahead of Ghiretti and Picariello, leaving the two leading championship contenders separated by four grid positions for Sunday’s finale.
The official Q2 results provided Lu and Heinrich with a significant advantage, particularly given the importance of track position during the 60-minute races.
2026 GTWC Asia: Shanghai: Race 1: Liu and Chen claim third victory of the season
Liu Kaishun produced an aggressive opening lap to take control of Saturday’s first race, immediately challenging pole-sitter Nandy into Turn 1. The Harmony Racing driver initially attacked around the outside before gaining the inside advantage at the following corner, moving the #96 Ferrari into the lead.
Nandy remained close during the opening stages, but Liu gradually established a small advantage as the two Silver entries pulled clear of the pursuing Pro-Am competitors. Behind them, Anthony Liu made an equally impressive start, moving ahead of Li Lichao and Cheng Congfu to secure third.
The leading pair maintained their positions until the mandatory pit window, although Nandy faced an additional seven-second stationary handicap because he competed without a co-driver. Liu subsequently handed the Ferrari to Chen Weian, who emerged with sufficient breathing space to control the remainder of the race.
Chen maintained the advantage throughout the closing stages and secured Harmony Racing’s third victory of the season, crossing the line 5.914s ahead of Nandy.
The result elevated Liu Kaishun to third in the overall Drivers’ standings while strengthening his challenge for the Silver title. However, Harmony Racing’s success also imposed a substantial 26-second success penalty for Sunday’s finale, significantly complicating its remaining championship ambitions.
Race 1: Heinrich’s late overtake extends Lu’s championship advantage
While Harmony Racing controlled the battle at the front, the fight for third became increasingly important for the Drivers’ Championship.
Lu initially occupied eighth following qualifying, but the mandatory pit stops and different success penalties reshuffled the order. The Origine Porsche served an additional ten seconds following its Beijing result, while Huang and Ghiretti faced a larger 15-second penalty after winning the previous round.
Heinrich took over the #11 Porsche from Lu and began recovering through the field, eventually closing on Loek Hartog in the Phantom Global Racing Porsche shared with Anthony Liu. Hartog initially defended successfully, forcing Heinrich to search for another opportunity as the laps continued to count down.
The German eventually completed the decisive overtake on the penultimate lap, moving Origine into third and securing a valuable championship podium. The pass also eliminated Anthony Liu from overall title contention, with the Phantom Global pairing finishing fourth.
Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Moh and Liang completed the leading five and secured Silver-Am victory, while Cheng and Yu finished sixth after serving additional pit-stop time. Huang and Ghiretti could only manage seventh, leaving the Absolute Racing pairing with a considerably more difficult championship challenge.
The full Race 1 classification confirmed that Lu had increased his championship lead from five to 14 points, leaving Huang and Ghiretti needing at least a podium finish in the final race to retain any chance of securing the title.
Race 1: Class battles remain open ahead of final contest
Saturday’s opening race also significantly influenced the remaining class championships, with several contenders strengthening their positions while others encountered setbacks.
Moh and Liang’s Silver-Am victory moved the Craft-Bamboo Racing pairing level on points with championship leaders Brian Lee and Maxime Oosten. With both combinations entering Sunday’s finale on equal terms, the class title remained one of the closest contests of the season.
Meanwhile, Zhou Bihuang and Setiawan Santoso extended their Am championship advantage after securing victory for Climax Racing. Their result gave them a 19-point lead over Liu Hangcheng and Wang Zhongwei, although the title remained mathematically undecided.
Cheng and Yu also maintained their Silver Championship challenge despite finishing behind Liu Kaishun. The Audi pairing entered the final race just three points behind Harmony Racing, creating a particularly competitive conclusion to the class battle.
Yu also took an important step towards securing the SRO GT Academy prize, extending his advantage over his nearest rival to 43 points. His position made him the overwhelming favourite to earn the fully funded 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa opportunity.
All remaining championship titles would therefore go down to Sunday’s final 60-minute contest.
2026 GTWC Asia: Shanghai: Race 2: Heinrich controls the opening stint
Sunday’s championship decider began with Heinrich defending pole position aboard the #11 Origine Motorsport Porsche. Although Alessio Picariello launched an aggressive challenge from sixth in the Absolute Racing entry, Heinrich maintained the lead and immediately began establishing his advantage.
Seppänen also capitalised on the opening-lap exchanges to move into second for Climax Racing, overtaking Nandy as the Malaysian lost ground from the front row. Ghiretti followed in third, keeping Absolute Racing’s championship challenge mathematically alive.
However, Heinrich quickly demonstrated why he had dominated qualifying. The German steadily extended his advantage during the opening stint, setting the fastest lap while maintaining sufficient pace to protect Origine’s position ahead of the mandatory pit stops.
The team faced an additional five-second success penalty following Saturday’s podium, but Heinrich’s commanding performance ensured that Lu would inherit a significant advantage.
By the time the driver changes concluded, the #11 Porsche held a lead of approximately ten seconds over the pursuing field. Crucially, the race had also remained free from Safety Car interruptions, allowing Origine to execute its strategy without losing the advantage Heinrich had established.
Race 2: Lu completes commanding victory to secure maiden title
Lu continued Heinrich’s impressive work after taking over the Porsche, maintaining a consistent pace while his championship rivals struggled to reduce the deficit.
The Origine driver steadily extended his advantage during the final stages, eventually crossing the line 13.133s ahead of Huang and Ghiretti. The decisive Shanghai Race 2 victory secured Lu’s third overall win of the season and confirmed him as the 2026 GTWC Asia Drivers’ Champion.
The result completed a long-awaited breakthrough for the Chinese driver, who had previously finished third overall in both 2023 and 2024 before narrowly missing the 2025 championship on countback.
His latest campaign had included important victories and consistent points-scoring performances, allowing him to recover from the disappointment of Beijing and secure the championship with a decisive final-round performance.
Huang and Ghiretti also produced a strong race to finish second, although they never seriously threatened the leading Origine Porsche. Their result completed an impressive championship campaign that included victories at Sepang and Beijing, but Lu’s commanding weekend ultimately left them 21 points behind.
The two leading Porsche entries therefore finished first and second in both the race and the final championship standings.
Race 2: Huang secures second as Tramnitz impresses on debut
Although Lu controlled the race, the battle for the remaining podium positions continued throughout the second half.
Ghiretti had maintained third during the opening stint before handing Absolute Racing’s #911 Porsche to Huang. The Chinese driver then began challenging Li Lichao, who had taken over the Climax Racing Mercedes-AMG from Seppänen.
The pair remained closely matched for much of the final stint before Huang launched an ambitious move at the hairpin. Despite side-to-side contact, both drivers continued without significant damage, allowing Huang to secure second ahead of Li.
Climax Racing nevertheless completed an impressive weekend with third overall and Silver-Am victory. Meanwhile, Team KRC’s Ruan Cunfan and GTWC Asia debutant Tim Tramnitz finished fourth after a particularly strong opening stint from the young BMW factory driver.
Tramnitz had recovered six positions before the pit window, putting the BMW into contention for a podium. Ruan subsequently reduced the gap to Li but could not complete the pass before the chequered flag.
Anthony Liu and Hartog finished fifth for Phantom Global Racing, while debutant Kevin Tse and Picariello secured sixth for Absolute Racing. Lee and Oosten followed in seventh, ahead of Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Moh and Liang.
The final race classification from Shanghai also confirmed that Team 5ZIGEN’s Aoki and Miyake finished ninth, with Cheng and Yu completing the top ten.
Silver title decided as Harmony suffers late setback
While Lu secured the overall championship, the Silver category produced a dramatic conclusion involving Liu Kaishun and the FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom pairing of Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai.
Liu had moved into the championship lead following Saturday’s victory, carrying a three-point advantage into the final race. However, Harmony Racing’s title challenge suffered a significant setback when a slow puncture forced the #96 Ferrari into an unscheduled pit stop.
The additional delay dropped Liu and Chen down the order, ending their hopes of securing either the overall championship or the Silver crown.
Cheng and Yu capitalised on their rivals’ difficulties, producing a controlled performance to finish tenth overall and second in class. Their result secured consecutive Silver titles, adding to the China Cup championship they had already claimed in Beijing.
The Audi pairing’s championship success also extended the Audi R8 LMS GT3’s winning record in the category, with the manufacturer securing a fourth consecutive Silver title.
Meanwhile, Aoki and Miyake recovered from their Race 1 retirement to claim Silver victory in the final contest for Team 5ZIGEN.
Silver-Am and Am titles settled in Shanghai finale
The Silver-Am Championship also reached its conclusion after a closely contested battle between Lee and Oosten and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Liang.
Liang entered Sunday’s race level on points with the GTO with KRC combination following Saturday’s class victory. However, Lee and Oosten ultimately secured the championship, with Oosten successfully defending his Silver-Am crown.
The BMW pairing finished seventh overall and second in class during the final race, while Liang and Moh followed one position behind. Both championship contenders completed the season with 205 points, but the GTO with KRC drivers prevailed on countback thanks to their superior number of class victories.
Climax Racing’s Li and Seppänen claimed the final Silver-Am race victory, completing a competitive weekend with third overall.
The Am category also produced a championship-deciding conclusion, although Zhou Bihuang and Setiawan Santoso had already established a significant advantage following Saturday’s victory.
The Climax Racing pairing finished fourth in class on Sunday, collecting sufficient points to secure the championship despite missing out on another podium. Their closest rivals, Liu Hangcheng and Wang Zhongwei, finished second in the final race but could not overturn the deficit.
Meanwhile, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing’s Aaron Lim and Haziq Zairel Oh secured their maiden Am victory after an entertaining battle with Liu during the closing stages.
Absolute Racing secures Teams’ Championship despite losing drivers’ crown
Although Huang and Ghiretti narrowly missed out on the Drivers’ Championship, Absolute Racing concluded the season with the overall Teams’ title.
The team had entered Shanghai holding a 19-point advantage over Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom following its strong Beijing weekend. However, its championship position strengthened considerably when the #15 Audi of Andrés Pato and Jaxon Evans withdrew from Sunday’s race.
The withdrawal effectively eliminated Audi’s remaining opportunity to challenge Absolute Racing, confirming the championship before the final contest began.
Absolute nevertheless completed the season strongly, with Huang and Ghiretti finishing second, Tse and Picariello sixth, and Nandy 12th. The combined results further extended the team’s advantage as it secured the title with 234 points.
Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom finished second on 174, while Origine Motorsport completed the top three on 168.
Absolute Racing’s victory also ended Origine Motorsport’s three-year reign as Teams’ Champion, ensuring that the two Porsche customer operations shared the major championship honours.
The official 2026 Teams’ Championship standings therefore confirmed Absolute Racing’s 60-point advantage, completing a successful campaign for the organisation despite Huang and Ghiretti’s defeat in the Drivers’ title fight.
Yu Kuai secures SRO GT Academy prize and Spa opportunity
Shanghai also determined the winner of the Asian SRO GT Academy competition, with Yu Kuai securing the inaugural award following his successful championship campaign.
The development programme rewards promising Silver-graded drivers under the age of 30, providing the winning competitor with a fully funded entry into the following year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Yu entered the finale with a commanding advantage following consistent performances throughout the season. His results in Shanghai ensured that none of his remaining challengers could overturn the deficit, confirming his selection for the 2027 event.
The Chinese driver will join British GT winner Jarrod Waberski and GT World Challenge America’s Ryan Yardley, alongside the Australian representative, in Team Motopark’s Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The achievement provides another important milestone in Yu’s career after securing consecutive Silver Championships and the 2026 China Cup alongside Cheng.
His success also highlights the growing importance of GTWC Asia as a development platform, particularly through the opportunities available to young drivers progressing towards major international endurance events.
2026 GTWC Asia Championship picture: Lu finally claims overall crown
The Shanghai finale ultimately brought an end to one of the most competitive GTWC Asia championship battles of recent seasons.
Lu entered the final event with just five points separating him from Huang and Ghiretti, having watched his previous 22-point advantage disappear during a dramatic Beijing weekend. However, the Origine driver responded with two strong results in Shanghai, securing third on Saturday before claiming the decisive victory alongside Heinrich on Sunday.
The result gave Lu the championship with 164 points, 21 clear of Huang and Ghiretti, who finished joint second on 143. Liu Kaishun completed the top three championship positions with 120 points, while Anthony Liu followed on 118.
The final GTWC Asia Drivers’ standings also placed Heinrich fifth with 110 points, an impressive achievement considering he contested only six of the season’s twelve races.
For Lu, the title represents the culmination of several seasons spent challenging at the front without securing the ultimate prize. His victory also reinforces Origine Motorsport’s reputation as one of the championship’s leading Porsche customer teams.
Although Absolute Racing missed out on the Drivers’ crown, its Teams’ Championship success ensured that both organisations concluded the season with major honours.
The 2026 champions will receive formal recognition at the SRO Awards in New York on 12 December, before the championship turns its attention towards its tenth anniversary season in 2027.
The new campaign will begin at Sepang International Circuit on 2–4 April, with GTWC Asia preparing for another year of competition across the region.
