Jules Gounon led a Mercedes-AMG sweep of the top three positions during the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe powered by AWS Free Practice session (FP1) at Magny-Cours.
The Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing driver set a 1:37.190 as the circuit continued to dry, beating Marvin Dienst’s Bronze Cup-leading #87 Winward Racing entry by 0.231 seconds. Lucas Auer completed the manufacturer’s top-three lockout in the sister Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.
Meanwhile, Gilles Magnus led the Gold Cup from fifth overall, while Ignacio Montenegro set the Silver Cup benchmark in eighth. All 44 entries completed laps during an uninterrupted session before the field prepared for Friday evening’s second practice.
Gounon puts Verstappen Racing on top
Gounon delivered Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing’s fastest lap during the closing stages of the 80-minute session.
The Frenchman stopped the clock at 1:37.190 on his 16th lap, averaging 163.3km/h around the 4.411km circuit. His effort placed the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO comfortably ahead of its closest rival.
The Dutch-flagged team entered Magny-Cours after recovering from a difficult start to the previous Sprint Cup round at Misano. Gounon and Dani Juncadella nevertheless claimed pole and second place in Race 2, securing the squad’s second runner-up finish of the campaign.
Mercedes-AMG has now recorded five second-place finishes across the opening seven GTWC Europe races. However, the Affalterbach marque continues to search for its first overall victory of 2026. Gounon’s FP1 pace offered an encouraging start to its latest attempt.
Dienst continues strong Bronze Cup form
Dienst emerged as Gounon’s closest challenger in the #87 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG he shares with Rinat Salikhov.
The German produced a 1:37.421 on Lap 30, placing him second overall and comfortably at the top of the Bronze Cup classification.
Dienst arrived in France after winning the class alongside Salikhov during Misano Race 2. The pair also finished second in the opening Italian contest, giving them the early Sprint Cup championship advantage.
Their Magny-Cours weekend began with another competitive display as Dienst finished only 0.231s behind Gounon and 0.021s ahead of Winward Racing’s Pro entry.
Auer completes Mercedes-AMG top-three sweep
Auer placed the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG third with a 1:37.442.
The Austrian finished 0.252s behind Gounon and narrowly missed second place to Dienst. Nevertheless, his result ensured that Mercedes-AMG locked out the first three positions.
Auer and Maro Engel entered Magny-Cours as the closest championship challengers to Team WRT’s Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde. The Winward Racing pair secured third in both Misano races but lost ground as the #32 BMW crew completed a clean sweep.
Therefore, the #48 entry will need to convert its early Magny-Cours pace into strong Qualifying and race results to reduce the championship deficit.
Weerts leads Team WRT in fourth
Weerts placed the championship-leading #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO fourth overall.
The Belgian set a 1:37.510, leaving him 0.320s behind Gounon and 0.068s away from Auer. Although Team WRT missed the top three, Weerts kept the Misano-winning BMW within striking distance of Mercedes-AMG.
Weerts and Van der Linde arrived in France with a 14-point Sprint Cup advantage after winning both Misano races. Their early pace suggested that the defending champions could again challenge near the front despite Mercedes-AMG’s strong start.
Max Hesse and Valentino Rossi placed the sister #46 BMW 16th, while Amaury Cordeel and Jordan Pepper finished 22nd in the #31 entry.
Magnus leads Gold Cup from fifth overall
Magnus gave Boutsen VDS an encouraging opening session by placing the #10 Porsche 911 GT3 R fifth overall.
Robin Knutsson showed front-running pace during the opening phase before Magnus set the crew’s fastest lap. His 1:37.569 left the Porsche 0.379s behind Gounon and only 0.059s behind Weerts.
The result also placed Magnus and Knutsson at the top of the Gold Cup classification.
Thursday’s top performers, Garage 59’s Tom Fleming and Louis Prette took second in class from 19th overall, while AF Corse Gold Cup leaders Tommaso Mosca and Matias Zagazeta finished 24th. Misano double winners Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka placed their Tresor Attempto Racing Audi 34th.
Marschall strengthens Bronze Cup presence
Dennis Marschall continued the strong Bronze Cup showing by placing sixth overall for Kessel Racing.
The defending class champion recorded a 1:37.577 in the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO he shares with Dustin Blattner. He finished only 0.008s behind Magnus and 0.387s away from the overall benchmark.
Fabian Schiller followed in seventh with GetSpeed Team Dubai’s #12 Mercedes-AMG. His 1:37.660 placed another Bronze Cup entry inside the overall top 10.
Consequently, Bronze Cup crews occupied second, sixth and seventh overall through Dienst, Marschall and Schiller. Kiern Jewiss followed as the fourth-fastest class runner in 21st for 2Seas Motorsport.
Montenegro sets Silver Cup benchmark
Montenegro led the Silver Cup and placed eighth overall in Team WRT’s #30 BMW.
The Paraguayan produced a 1:37.726, finishing 0.536s behind Gounon. He also continued the strong form that he and Matisse Lismont displayed during the previous Sprint Cup round.
The Team WRT pairing won Misano Race 1 before finishing third in Race 2, establishing a clear Silver Cup championship advantage.
Mateo Villagomez and Jamie Day emerged as Montenegro and Lismont’s closest class rivals in FP1. Their #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin completed the overall top 10, only 0.095s behind the BMW.
Optimum Motorsport’s Guilherme Oliveira and Mikey Porter followed in third within the Silver Cup and 11th overall.
Green places Emil Frey Racing Ferrari ninth
Ben Green led Ferrari’s Pro Cup effort by taking ninth overall for Emil Frey Racing.
The British driver set a 1:37.816 in the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO he shares with Thierry Vermeulen. His effort placed the pair 0.626s behind Gounon and only 0.005s ahead of Villagomez.
Thomas Neubauer and Arthur Leclerc followed as the next Pro Ferrari crew in 12th for AF Corse. Meanwhile, Konsta Lappalainen and Matteo Cairoli placed Emil Frey Racing’s second entry 23rd.
The closely matched order placed the top 10 within 0.631s, while fewer than eight tenths separated Gounon from the first 13 cars.
2026 GTWC Europe Magny-Cours FP1 top 10
- Jules Gounon/Dani Juncadella — Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing — 1:37.190
- Marvin Dienst/Rinat Salikhov — Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG — +0.231s — Bronze Cup leader
- Lucas Auer/Maro Engel — Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG — +0.252s
- Charles Weerts/Kelvin van der Linde — Team WRT BMW — +0.320s
- Gilles Magnus/Robin Knutsson — Boutsen VDS Porsche — +0.379s — Gold Cup leader
- Dennis Marschall/Dustin Blattner — Kessel Racing Ferrari — +0.387s
- Fabian Schiller/Gabriel Rindone — GetSpeed Team Dubai Mercedes-AMG — +0.470s
- Matisse Lismont/Ignacio Montenegro — Team WRT BMW — +0.536s — Silver Cup leader
- Thierry Vermeulen/Ben Green — Emil Frey Racing Ferrari — +0.626s
- Mateo Villagomez/Jamie Day — Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin — +0.631s
The official classification recorded all 44 entries as classified. Race control used one Full Course Yellow phase but no Safety Car period during the session.
Teams prepare for potentially stormy FP2
FP1’s drying conditions encouraged drivers to improve throughout the session and produced a tightly packed leading group.
However, forecasts indicated that storms could affect Friday evening’s second Free Practice session. The changing conditions could complicate preparations for Saturday night’s opening race, which will take place under the lights.
FP2 will begin at 20:40 CEST. Teams will use the session to gather further night-running data before Qualifying 1 and Race 1 on Saturday.
