Antonio Fuoco topped the timesheets in what proved to be a truncated GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Pre-Qualifying session at the Nürburgring, as track surface problems forced an early stoppage. The session lasted barely 20 minutes before a red flag was waved, with officials noting that the asphalt in sector three had begun to break up.
With safety concerns preventing further running and no time available to make the necessary repairs, race control opted to cancel the remainder of the session. It meant that drivers had only a brief window to set representative lap times, adding extra importance to each run.
Herberth Motorsport’s Tim Heinemann set the pace in Free Practice at the Nürburgring, kicking off the penultimate GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup round with a benchmark lap of 1:55.249 in the No. 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The German topped the overall order and led the Gold Cup, just 0.048s clear of BMW rival Jens Klingmann. Maximilian Götz was the fastest Pro runner in third, while David Schumacher led Silver Cup in fourth for HRT Ford Performance and Dan Harper set the Bronze Cup pace in sixth. The session ran largely incident-free, aside from a late Full Course Yellow caused by Sai Sanjay’s CSA Racing McLaren.
Fuoco and Ferrari on top
Fuoco maximised the short track time available in the #50 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari. The Italian was the only driver to dip below the 1m55s barrier, producing a rapid 1m54.959s lap. His effort secured the top spot and offered Ferrari a valuable psychological boost heading into the main GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Nürburgring Qualifying sessions.
The performance further underlined the strong pace that AF Corse has shown in recent rounds of GT World Challenge Europe, with Fuoco continuing to lead from the front.
The margins behind Fuoco were extremely tight. Augusto Farfus placed second in the #98 ROWE Racing BMW, only 0.149s adrift, while Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter driver Lucas Auer was just 0.198s off the benchmark in third. Both rivals looked poised to challenge Ferrari had the session run its full course, leaving an intriguing question mark over how the field might have shuffled had more laps been possible.
Omani racer Al Faisal Al Zubair impressed by taking fourth overall in the #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW. His time also placed him top of the Gold Cup order, confirming the team’s strong start to the Nürburgring weekend.
Class contenders show pace
The Silver Cup was led by Belgian youngster Kobe Pauwels, who continued his upward trajectory with Comtoyou Racing. Driving the #21 Aston Martin, Pauwels secured seventh overall, finishing four tenths behind Fuoco’s Ferrari. His result once again highlighted the growing competitiveness of Aston Martin’s customer programme.
In the Bronze Cup, Pauwels’ compatriot Gilles Magnus carried the Belgian flag to the top. At the wheel of the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi, Magnus set the 13th fastest time overall, putting him well clear of his class rivals and ensuring Audi presence among the leading contenders in a disrupted session.
Although the curtailed Pre-Qualifying provided only a snapshot of outright pace, it offered early indications of which teams have found a strong rhythm at the Nürburgring. Ferrari’s speed with Fuoco suggests they will be a formidable force as the event progresses, while BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin all showed competitive flashes in the shortened running.
The cancellation also means added pressure on teams to maximise track time during the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Qualifying session at the Nürburgring. With fewer laps completed than expected, drivers must adapt quickly to fine-tune balance, tyre strategy, and race pace ahead of qualifying and the race itself.
Results: GTWC Europe Endurance Cup Nürburgring Pre-Qualifying
