Konsta Lappalainen claimed his maiden overall GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe pole position during Qualifying 2 at Zandvoort in 2026, continuing Emil Frey Racing’s strong weekend at the Dutch circuit. The Finn produced a 1:33.192 in the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO to beat Race 1 winner Louis Prette by 0.207s, while Ben Green placed the second Emil Frey Racing Ferrari third overall.
Prette’s second-place effort secured another Gold Cup pole for Garage 59 after he and Thomas Fleming had already starred in the opening race of the weekend. Meanwhile, Max Hesse put Team WRT fourth, Matías Zagazeta took fifth for AF Corse and championship contender Ricardo Feller completed the third row for Lionspeed GP. Further down the order, Oliver Söderström and Charles Dawson led the Silver and Bronze Cup classifications respectively.
Lappalainen converts Emil Frey pace into maiden pole
Emil Frey Racing had remained near the front throughout the Zandvoort weekend before Lappalainen delivered the team’s strongest qualifying performance. Thierry Vermeulen placed second during Free Practice 1, while Green followed that result with third during FP2. Although neither session produced outright P1 for the Swiss squad, both Ferraris consistently showed enough pace to challenge at the front.
Lappalainen converted that potential when Qualifying 2 began. His 1:33.192 comfortably topped Group B and ultimately stood as the quickest time across the two qualifying groups, handing him his first overall GTWC Europe pole after six seasons of competition. More importantly for Emil Frey Racing, Green reinforced the team’s pace by recording a 1:33.435 in the sister #69 Ferrari, which put him third overall and only 0.243s behind his teammate.
As a result, Emil Frey Racing secured two of the first three positions for Race 2 and placed itself in an excellent position to challenge for victory. After Vermeulen and Green had already secured an overall podium in Race 1, the team entered the second contest with another opportunity to turn its consistently strong Zandvoort pace into a major result.
Prette keeps Garage 59 at the front
While Lappalainen grabbed outright pole, Prette ensured that Garage 59 remained firmly involved at the front after its Race 1 victory. The Monegasque driver set a 1:33.399 in the #58 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, falling just 0.207s short of pole while comfortably securing Gold Cup honours.
The result continued an impressive weekend for Prette and Fleming, who had already converted a front-row start into overall victory in Race 1. Fleming had qualified second for Saturday’s opening contest before taking the lead during the opening lap, while Prette completed the job after the mandatory driver change. Therefore, Prette’s front-row qualifying position for Race 2 gave Garage 59 another opportunity to fight directly with the leading Pro Cup crews.
Behind him, Hesse produced Team WRT’s best qualifying result of the session. He recorded a 1:33.461 in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO to secure fourth overall, leaving him only 0.269s behind Lappalainen. Zagazeta then placed the #51 AF Corse Ferrari fifth with a 1:33.492, which also secured second in the Gold Cup behind Prette.
Feller leads the championship contenders
Feller placed the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche sixth overall after recording a 1:33.510, leaving him only 0.318s away from pole. The Swiss driver and Bastian Buus entered Zandvoort among the main Sprint Cup championship contenders following their Race 2 victory at Magny-Cours, and their third-row starting position kept them well placed to score another significant haul of points.
Patric Niederhauser followed in seventh for Rutronik Racing with the Lamborghini Temerario GT3, while Christopher Haase put Eastalent Racing eighth. Arthur Leclerc qualified ninth for AF Corse before Gilles Magnus completed the overall top 10 and claimed third in the Gold Cup for Boutsen VDS. Despite the different manufacturers represented near the front, only 0.680s separated Lappalainen from Magnus.
Further back, Maro Engel placed the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG 13th, while Chris Lulham qualified 15th for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. Race 1 polesitter Morris Schuring could not replicate his Saturday performance and placed 16th in the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche, giving him and Dorian Boccolacci significantly more work to do in Race 2.
Van der Linde faces another difficult starting position
Kelvin van der Linde endured another challenging qualifying session in the #32 Team WRT BMW, further complicating the defending Sprint Cup champions’ Zandvoort weekend. The South African recorded a 1:34.485, which left him 19th in Group B and 22nd in the combined Qualifying 2 classification.
That result carried additional consequences because Team WRT also entered the session knowing that the #32 BMW had a five-place grid penalty to serve following contact at Magny-Cours. Van der Linde and Charles Weerts had already faced a difficult opening race after qualifying deep in the field, and another low starting position created an even greater challenge as they attempted to protect their place in the Sprint Cup title fight.
By contrast, Feller’s sixth-place qualifying result gave Lionspeed GP another opportunity to reduce the championship deficit. Van der Linde had also endured frustration during the previous event at Magny-Cours, where a technical infringement cost him pole position, and the latest setback ensured that the championship picture remained finely balanced heading into Race 2.
Söderström secures Silver Cup pole
Although Group B produced the leading overall times, Söderström topped Group A and secured Silver Cup pole for Comtoyou Racing. He recorded a 1:34.330 in the #21 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, putting himself and Arthur Dorison 19th overall on the combined grid and earning the crew its first Silver Cup pole of the season.
Mikey Porter followed in the class for Optimum Motorsport after setting a 1:34.479, while Jef Machiels placed third in the Silver Cup for AF Corse. Felix Hirsiger and Ignacio Montenegro followed behind, with Montenegro qualifying the #30 Team WRT BMW 28th overall after he and Matisse Lismont had already enjoyed a highly successful Sprint Cup campaign.
The Team WRT pairing entered Race 2 in a strong championship position after securing another Silver Cup victory during the opening Zandvoort race. Nevertheless, Söderström’s qualifying performance ensured that Comtoyou Racing would begin Sunday’s contest from the front of the class and with an opportunity to disrupt WRT’s run of success.
Dawson leads the Bronze Cup field
Charles Dawson emerged as the leading Bronze Cup driver during Group A and secured class pole for 2Seas Motorsport. His 1:34.452 placed the #222 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO second within the group and 20th overall on the combined Race 2 grid, only one position behind Silver Cup polesitter Söderström.
Peter Dempsey qualified second in the Bronze Cup for Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing with a 1:34.641. He and Eddie Cheever had already enjoyed a successful weekend after taking the class victory in Race 1, meaning their second-row class starting position kept them firmly in contention for another strong result.
Therefore, Lappalainen and Prette will share the front row for Race 2, with Green and Hesse immediately behind them. Zagazeta and Feller complete the third row as Emil Frey Racing looks to convert its impressive qualifying performance into victory, while Garage 59 attempts to build on the momentum created by its Race 1 triumph.
The full GTWC Europe Zandvoort Qualifying 2 results are available through the championship’s official website.
