Boutsen VDS secured its first GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Endurance Cup pole position at Portimão as Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello combined to put the #2 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO at the front for Saturday’s three-hour season finale. The trio recorded a 1:42.071 average across Friday’s three qualifying segments, beating Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed by 0.108 seconds.
Lionspeed GP completed the top three, while HRT Ford Racing and AF Corse rounded out the top five in a tightly contested session. Selected Car Racing claimed Gold Cup pole from eighth overall, Team WRT led the final Silver Cup classification and Paradine Competition headed the Bronze Cup. Meanwhile, qualifying also confirmed a major championship outcome as Winward Racing secured the Endurance Cup Teams’ crown.
Schuring gives Boutsen VDS an immediate advantage in Q1
Schuring established Boutsen VDS as the team to beat with a 1:42.445 during Q1. His lap placed the #2 Porsche ahead of the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin, whose 1:42.524 left Mattia Drudi 0.079 seconds behind. Arjun Maini followed just 0.009 seconds further back for HRT Ford Racing, recording a 1:42.533 in the #64 Mustang.
The opening segment rewarded a strong first lap because the Endurance Cup format combines each crew member’s best time to calculate the final average. Schuring therefore gave Boccolacci and Picariello a valuable starting point, although the small gaps to Aston Martin and Ford meant Boutsen VDS still needed competitive contributions from both teammates. Several manufacturers remained within contention as the second drivers prepared to take over.
Boccolacci extends the advantage in Q2
Boccolacci strengthened the #2 Porsche’s position by topping Q2 with a 1:41.856. He improved on Schuring’s opening benchmark by more than half a second and finished 0.142 seconds ahead of Thomas Preining, who recorded a 1:41.998 for Lionspeed GP. The result put two Porsches at the front of the individual session and gave their respective crews an opportunity to contest pole during Q3.
Maximilian Götz followed with a 1:42.101 in the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG, keeping the German squad close enough to fight for the leading grid positions. Together with Ralf Aron’s 1:42.607 from Q1, his lap gave Fabian Schiller a platform to challenge the Porsche entries. However, Boutsen VDS retained the strongest two-driver average, leaving Picariello with the task of completing a promising qualifying effort.
Picariello completes historic Porsche pole in Q3
Picariello recorded a 1:41.912 during Q3 to complete the pole-winning average of 1:42.071. Although his lap ranked seventh in the individual final session, the combined strength of all three Boutsen VDS drivers kept the #2 Porsche ahead. The trio therefore secured the last ROWE Pole Position Award of the 2026 Endurance Cup season.
The result represented a milestone for a team that first competed in the series at Monza in 2012. Boutsen VDS had never previously taken an Endurance Cup pole, while Porsche had not achieved one in the category for more than two years. All three drivers also celebrated their first such pole. The achievement carried additional significance for the Belgian outfit following the death of its long-time patron Marc van der Straten earlier in the year.
Schiller puts GetSpeed on the front row
GetSpeed emerged as Boutsen VDS’ nearest challenger through Aron, Götz and Schiller. The #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO recorded a 1:42.179 average, finishing 0.108 seconds behind the pole-sitting Porsche and securing the other front-row position. Schiller delivered the crew’s quickest individual lap with a 1:41.831 during Q3, providing the decisive improvement as the battle for second tightened.
Aron’s 1:42.607 and Götz’s 1:42.101 had kept the Mercedes-AMG in contention through the earlier segments, but Schiller’s final effort lifted GetSpeed ahead of Lionspeed GP. With a front-row starting position, the German team will have an opportunity to challenge Boutsen VDS when the field heads into the Algarve circuit’s opening corners. However, the combined qualifying order also underlined the importance of contributions from all three drivers rather than a single exceptional lap.
Lionspeed GP narrowly beats HRT Ford Racing
Lionspeed GP secured third as Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus combined for a 1:42.250 in the #80 Porsche. Preining’s 1:41.998 provided the team’s fastest individual effort, while Buus completed Q3 with a 1:42.082. The crew missed GetSpeed by 0.071 seconds but gave Porsche a second representative among the first three starters.
The result continued a successful period for Lionspeed GP after Feller and Buus secured the Sprint Cup Drivers’ Championship at Barcelona. HRT Ford Racing followed only 0.002 seconds behind in fourth, with Arjun Maini, Fabio Scherer and Thomas Drouet recording a 1:42.252 average in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO. Drouet produced the team’s fastest lap with a 1:41.838 during Q3, making the Ford one of the strongest cars in the final segment despite narrowly missing the top three on combined average.
Wadoux leads Ferrari challenge
AF Corse placed fifth with Albert Costa, Arthur Leclerc and Lilou Wadoux, whose #50 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO recorded a 1:42.279 average. Wadoux’s 1:41.795 in Q3 proved the crew’s quickest lap and placed Ferrari just 0.027 seconds behind the leading Ford. Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter followed in sixth, with Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel combining for a 1:42.283, only 0.004 seconds behind AF Corse.
Garage 59 secured seventh with Joseph Loake, Dean Macdonald and Jack Hawksworth in the #59 McLaren, while the Gold Cup-leading #71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari took eighth. Comtoyou Racing’s #7 Aston Martin followed in ninth, and Tommaso Mosca, Lorenzo Ferrari and Nicola Lacorte completed the top ten for AF Corse. Only 0.408 seconds separated the leading ten averages, giving six manufacturers a place in that group and promising a competitive fight during Saturday’s finale.
Winward Racing clinches Endurance Cup Teams’ title
Winward Racing confirmed the Endurance Cup Teams’ Championship during qualifying, adding another honour to an already successful Mercedes-AMG campaign. The team arrived in Portugal with a 26-point advantage over Comtoyou Racing, which needed the pole-position bonus point to preserve its remaining mathematical chance. Boutsen VDS claimed that point instead, placing the teams’ title beyond Comtoyou’s reach before the race.
Auer, Engel and Stolz had already secured the Endurance Cup Drivers’ Championship at the Nürburgring, and their sixth-place qualifying result kept the #48 Mercedes-AMG firmly among the leading contenders. Winward also arrived at Portimão after the RACB National Court of Appeal reinstated its Misano result, confirming Engel and Auer as the combined Overall Drivers’ champions. The team will nevertheless have another prize to pursue during Saturday’s race, when the combined Overall Teams’ standings reach their conclusion.
Team WRT defends narrow Overall Teams’ lead
Team WRT entered the finale five points ahead of Winward Racing in the combined Overall Teams’ Championship, placing extra importance on the grid positions of both squads. Kelvin van der Linde, Jordan Pepper and Charles Weerts put the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO 13th overall with a 1:42.620 average. Their position left them seven places behind the #48 Mercedes-AMG of Auer, Engel and Stolz, giving Winward a stronger starting position among its leading Pro Cup rivals.
WRT also fielded the #46 BMW for Max Hesse, Valentino Rossi and Neil Verhagen, although the final classification placed that entry 59th. The Belgian team therefore approaches the race with a modest points cushion but a demanding grid situation. With three hours of racing still to come, changes in traffic, pit-stop execution and the finishing positions of both teams’ entries could determine which operation claims the final overall teams’ honour.
Birch sets fastest outright lap of qualifying
Selected Car Racing claimed Gold Cup pole through Frederik Schandorff, Malte Ebdrup and Simon Birch, whose #71 Ferrari took eighth overall with a 1:42.335 average. Birch delivered the standout individual performance of the entire session, recording a 1:41.652 in Q3. No driver from the Pro Cup or any other category matched that lap, even though the three-driver average left the Ferrari behind seven entries in the overall order.
The performance highlighted the strength of the Gold Cup field and the importance of consistency across all three qualifying segments. Schandorff contributed a 1:42.567 in Q1 before Ebdrup posted a 1:42.787 during Q2, while Birch’s exceptional final lap secured the class advantage. Selected Car Racing will therefore begin the three-hour race ahead of its category rivals and with clear evidence that the Ferrari possesses the outright pace to compete against leading Pro Cup machinery.
Garage 59 gains crucial ground in Gold title contest
Garage 59 secured second in Gold and 11th overall as Thomas Fleming, Louis Prette and Benjamin Goethe combined for a 1:42.524 in the #58 McLaren. Boutsen VDS’ #10 Porsche followed only 0.011 seconds behind, with Gilles Magnus, Robin Knutsson and Alessandro Ghiretti taking third in class and 12th overall. Tresor Attempto Racing placed fourth in Gold and 16th overall through Dylan Pereira, Andrea Frassineti and Alex Aka.
The result particularly mattered for Garage 59’s championship challenge. Fleming, Prette and Goethe entered Portimão three points behind the ROWE Racing crew of Ugo de Wilde, Tim Tramnitz and Jens Klingmann. However, ROWE qualified fifth in class and 18th overall with a 1:42.815 average, placing its #998 BMW seven overall positions behind the McLaren. The title remains undecided, but Garage 59 now has an advantageous starting position for the final race.
Team WRT leads Silver Cup classification
Team WRT led the final Silver Cup qualifying classification with the #30 BMW of Amaury Cordeel, Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro. The already-crowned Silver Cup champions recorded a 1:42.647 average to secure 15th overall, with Montenegro delivering a 1:42.002 in Q3. The performance placed the BMW among the midfield Pro Cup contenders and gave the crew a strong starting point for its final race of the season.
Tresor Attempto Racing followed in second in class and 20th overall, as Sebastian Øgaard, Rocco Mazzola and Ariel Levi combined for a 1:42.914 in the #66 Audi. GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros completed the Silver Cup top three from 21st overall, with Anthony Bartone, Aurélien Panis and César Gazeau recording a 1:42.965 in the #6 Mercedes-AMG. Team RJN followed in fourth, placing its #23 McLaren 25th overall with a 1:43.008 average.
De Haan leads Paradine Competition to class pole
Paradine Competition headed the Bronze Cup through James Kellett, Darren Leung and Robert de Haan, who qualified 22nd overall in the #991 BMW with a 1:42.976 average. De Haan’s 1:41.971 in Q3 gave the crew a particularly strong individual lap and helped secure the team’s first Endurance Cup class pole of the season. Their position also strengthened their prospects in a closely contested Bronze Cup Drivers’ Championship battle.
Winward Racing claimed second in Bronze and 26th overall, with Gabriele Piana, Rinat Salikhov and Marvin Dienst recording a 1:43.027 in the #87 Mercedes-AMG. Kessel Racing followed just 0.001 seconds behind in 27th, as Dustin Blattner, Lorenzo Patrese and Dennis Marschall combined for a 1:43.028 in the #74 Ferrari. With Paradine Competition only 0.052 seconds clear of Kessel Racing, the category promises another close fight as the season concludes.
Verstappen delivers team’s fastest individual lap
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing qualified 14th overall with Ben Barnicoat, Chris Lulham and Max Verstappen sharing the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Barnicoat opened Q1 with a 1:43.124 before Lulham posted a 1:42.655 in Q2. Verstappen then delivered the crew’s fastest lap, a 1:42.093 during Q3, bringing their combined average to 1:42.624, just 0.004 seconds behind the #32 Team WRT BMW.
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion joined the Portimão line-up alongside Barnicoat and Lulham while regular Endurance Cup drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon fulfilled FIA World Endurance Championship commitments. Although his final qualifying lap demonstrated competitive pace, the combined average placed the team outside the leading ten. The trio will therefore begin Verstappen’s GTWC Europe debut from the midfield, where traffic management and clean pit stops could prove essential to a strong result.
Conclusion: Boutsen VDS leads the field into 2026 season finale
Boutsen VDS will lead the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup field into Saturday’s season finale after securing a landmark pole position at Portimão. Schuring, Boccolacci and Picariello combined to deliver the Belgian team’s first Endurance Cup pole, while GetSpeed and Lionspeed GP completed a closely matched top three.
However, the narrow margins among the leading competitors suggest that the three-hour race could produce another competitive battle. With the top ten separated by only 0.408 seconds, several manufacturers remain in contention, while the Gold and Bronze Cup championship fights promise additional competition throughout the field.
Meanwhile, Winward Racing enters the finale having secured both Endurance Cup championships, although Team WRT retains a five-point advantage in the combined Overall Teams’ standings. The remaining championship battles will therefore provide another important dimension to the final round of 2026.
The 2026 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup season finale begins on Saturday, 17 October, at 17:00 local Portuguese time (WEST), with the three-hour race scheduled to conclude at 20:00.
2026 GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Portimão qualifying: Full final results
The following classification reflects the official combined qualifying results following the stewards’ decisions. The listed times represent each crew’s combined qualifying average, rather than its fastest individual lap.
Class abbreviations: Pro = Pro Cup; Gold = Gold Cup; Silver = Silver Cup; Bronze = Bronze Cup.
- #2 Boutsen VDS — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Pro) — Morris Schuring / Dorian Boccolacci / Alessio Picariello — 1:42.071
- #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Pro) — Ralf Aron / Maximilian Götz / Fabian Schiller — 1:42.179
- #80 Lionspeed GP — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Pro) — Ricardo Feller / Thomas Preining / Bastian Buus — 1:42.250
- #64 HRT Ford Racing — Ford Mustang GT3 EVO (Pro) — Arjun Maini / Fabio Scherer / Thomas Drouet — 1:42.252
- #50 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Pro) — Albert Costa / Arthur Leclerc / Lilou Wadoux — 1:42.279
- #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Pro) — Lucas Auer / Luca Stolz / Maro Engel — 1:42.283
- #59 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Pro) — Joseph Loake / Dean Macdonald / Jack Hawksworth — 1:42.302
- #71 Selected Car Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Gold) — Frederik Schandorff / Malte Ebdrup / Simon Birch — 1:42.335
- #7 Comtoyou Racing — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Pro) — Mattia Drudi / Ross Gunn / Nicki Thiim — 1:42.352
- #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Pro) — Tommaso Mosca / Lorenzo Ferrari / Nicola Lacorte — 1:42.479
- #58 Garage 59 — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Gold) — Thomas Fleming / Louis Prette / Benjamin Goethe — 1:42.524
- #10 Boutsen VDS — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Gold) — Gilles Magnus / Robin Knutsson / Alessandro Ghiretti — 1:42.535
- #32 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Pro) — Kelvin van der Linde / Jordan Pepper / Charles Weerts — 1:42.620
- #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Pro) — Ben Barnicoat / Chris Lulham / Max Verstappen — 1:42.624
- #30 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Silver) — Amaury Cordeel / Matisse Lismont / Ignacio Montenegro — 1:42.647
- #99 Tresor Attempto Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (Gold) — Dylan Pereira / Andrea Frassineti / Alex Aka — 1:42.662
- #96 Rutronik Racing — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 (Pro) — Patric Niederhauser / Marco Mapelli / Luca Engstler — 1:42.797
- #998 ROWE Racing — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Gold) — Ugo de Wilde / Tim Tramnitz / Jens Klingmann — 1:42.815
- #63 TGI Team by GRT — Lamborghini Temerario GT3 (Pro) — Franck Perera / Maximilian Paul / Mirko Bortolotti — 1:42.900
- #66 Tresor Attempto Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (Silver) — Sebastian Øgaard / Rocco Mazzola / Ariel Levi — 1:42.914
- #6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Silver) — Anthony Bartone / Aurélien Panis / César Gazeau — 1:42.965
- #991 Paradine Competition — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Bronze) — James Kellett / Darren Leung / Robert de Haan — 1:42.976
- #34 natural elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Pro) — Christian Krognes / Jamie Day / Henrique Chaves — 1:42.989
- #84 Eastalent Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (Pro) — Christopher Haase / Simon Reicher / Markus Winkelhock — 1:42.994
- #23 Team RJN — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Silver) — Horatio Fitz-Simon / Maxwell Lynn / Ben Dörr — 1:43.008
- #87 Winward Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Gabriele Piana / Rinat Salikhov / Marvin Dienst — 1:43.027
- #74 Kessel Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Dustin Blattner / Lorenzo Patrese / Dennis Marschall — 1:43.028
- #25 Saintéloc Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (Silver) — Ezequiel Pérez Companc / Etienne Cheli / Ivan Klymenko — 1:43.060
- #60 JMW Motorsport — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Gold) — Casper Stevenson / Giacomo Altoè / Konsta Lappalainen — 1:43.103
- #9 Pure Rxcing — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Silver) — Max Hofer / Mikkel Pedersen / Aliaksandr Malykhin — 1:43.105
- #42 Oman Racing by Century Motorsport — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Javier Sagrera / Ahmad Al Harthy / Calan Williams — 1:43.128
- #555 CSA Racing — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Silver) — Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer / James Higgins / Loris Cabirou — 1:43.135
- #4 Optimum Motorsport — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Gold) — Freddie Tomlinson / Harry George / Adam Smalley — 1:43.149
- #98 ROWE Racing — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Pro) — Philipp Eng / Marco Wittmann / Jake Dennis — 1:43.175
- #45 Rinaldi Racing — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Silver) — Axcil Jefferies / Dylan Medler / David Perel — 1:43.176
- #269 High Class Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO (Bronze) — Max Moritz / Raphael Rennhofer / Klaus Bachler — 1:43.180
- #111 CSA Racing — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Gold) — Jim Pla / Simon Gachet / James Kell — 1:43.195
- #20 Team Motopark — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Pro) — Philip Ellis / Nikita Mazepin / Dominik Baumann — 1:43.214
- #12 GetSpeed Team Dubai — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Gabriel Rindone / Tom Kalender / Mikaël Grenier — 1:43.272
- #91 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Bronze) — Ralf Bohn / Robert Renauer / Huub van Eijndhoven — 1:43.280
- #52 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO (Silver) — Jef Machiels / Gilles Stadsbader / Matías Zagazeta — 1:43.292
- #21 Comtoyou Racing — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Silver) — Kobe Pauwels / Oliver Söderström / Sébastien Baud — 1:43.304
- #19 Team Motopark — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Silver) — Aaron Walker / Marcos Siebert / Christian Mansell — 1:43.311
- #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Bronze) — Lucas Wolf / Eddie Cheever / Christopher Froggatt — 1:43.324
- #992 Paradine Competition — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Silver) — Daryl De Leon / Christian Hahn / Josh Rowledge — 1:43.365
- #24 Steller Motorsport — Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R (Gold) — Mikkel Mac / Kasper H. Jensen / Dennis Lind — 1:43.436
- #44 Greystone GT — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Silver) — Tommy Pintos / Joshua Rattican / Jayden Kelly — 1:43.444
- #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Silver) — Lucas Legeret / Mark Kastelic / Mateo Villagómez — 1:43.497
- #88 Tresor Attempto Racing — Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (Bronze) — Daniele Di Amato / Carrie Schreiner / Aleksei Nesov — 1:43.565
- #89 Lionspeed GP — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Bronze) — Bashar Mardini / Patrick Kolb / Alex Fontana — 1:43.656
- #77 KPX Motorsport — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Jop Rappange / Nigel Schoonderwoerd / Yelmer Buurman — 1:43.696
- #5 Optimum Motorsport — McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Silver) — Dante Rappange / Guilherme Oliveira / Mikey Porter — 1:43.726
- #54 Dinamic GT — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (Silver) — Tanart Sathienthirakul / Francesco Simonazzi / Angus Whiteside — 1:43.807
- #11 Comtoyou Racing — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Marcelo Tomasoni / Aaron Muss / Valentin Hasse-Clot — 1:44.075
- #8 Car Collection Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO (Bronze) — Reinhold Krahn / Pietro Armanni / Joel Sturm — 1:44.294
- #41 Razoon – more than racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO (Bronze) — Sebá Malucelli / Alan Hellmeister / Marcos Gomes — 1:44.689
- #914 Razoon – more than racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO (Bronze) — Richard Wolf / Max Mutschlechner / Leo Pichler — 1:44.963
- #999 GetSpeed Team PCX Racing — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Patrick Charlaix / Jordan Boisson / Marvin Klein — 1:45.792
- #46 Team WRT — BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Pro) — Max Hesse / Valentino Rossi / Neil Verhagen — 1:42.621*
- #222 2Seas Motorsport — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (Bronze) — Kiern Jewiss / Charles Dawson / Reece Barr — 1:42.694*
Not classified
NC — #65 HRT Ford Racing — Ford Mustang GT3 EVO (Silver) — Maxime Oosten / Nicolas Baert / Eduardo Coseteng — No classified qualifying time.
Classification and penalty notes
The final classification lists 61 entries, with 60 classified and one unclassified. Officials removed all qualifying times for the #65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang under Stewards’ Decision 19 after discovering that its data logger had remained disconnected throughout qualifying.
The #222 lost its fastest Q2 lap following Stewards’ Decision 18, while the #46 failed to register a valid Q2 result.




