Emil Frey Racing has lost its landmark overall victory in Race 1 of the 2025 GTWC Europe Sprint Cup at Valencia, following a post-race penalty for a yellow flag infringement. The #69 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen, initially made history as the first Gold Cup entry to take an outright win in the series. However, that result has now been overturned.
Yellow Flag infringement costs race win
The stewards’ bulletin, released on Saturday evening, confirmed that Lulham improved his time in sector two while yellow flags were active at Turn 9. This action violated Article 27.1 of the series’ sporting regulations. As a result, the #69 car received a drive-through penalty, converted into a 26-second time addition after the race. The stewards also issued Lulham one behaviour warning point.
This penalty dropped the Emil Frey Ferrari down the order, handing overall victory to the #63 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 of Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper. They had originally finished second on the road.
In the Gold Cup class, the time penalty also caused a reshuffle. The penalty elevated the Garage 59 duo, Thomas Fleming and Louis Prette, to first in class, while they dropped Lulham and Vermeulen to second. The stewards also handed the No. 111 CSA Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo a matching 26-second penalty for breaching the same regulation, which affected its class position.
Widespread sanctions across the field
Notably, over half of the top ten finishers received identical penalties for similar yellow flag infringements. The most significant among them included the #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. Although drivers Kobe Pauwels and Jamie Day lost their class win as a result, they still clinched the Silver Cup title with one race remaining.
This unexpected outcome occurred because the second-placed #992 Paradine Competition BMW was also penalised. That opened the door for Gilles Stadsbader and Matisse Lismont in the #30 Team WRT BMW to claim the class victory.
Further down the field, multiple other entries faced penalties for similar infractions. These included the #777 Al Manar Racing by WRT BMW, #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, and #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. In addition, the stewards penalised all three AF Corse Ferraris, the #35 Walkenhorst Racing Aston Martin, and both Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Rs post-race.
Silver Cup title secured despite drama
While the penalty disrupted their race result, Pauwels and Day benefitted from the retirement of all three of their main championship rivals — Boutsen VDS, Tresor Attempto Racing, and Sainteloc Racing. As a result, they extended their points lead sufficiently to seal the Silver Cup championship before Sunday’s final race.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s finale
Ultimately, what began as a historic moment for Emil Frey Racing ended in disappointment. Looking forward, teams must now exercise greater caution under yellow flag conditions. Valencia’s fallout stands as a firm reminder that even the smallest error can have major consequences — not just for a race result, but for championship outcomes as well.
