The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS began in style at Circuit Paul Ricard. A strong field, high expectations, and a dramatic six-hour race delivered the perfect start. By Sunday night, Team WRT and BMW celebrated a decisive victory, but every manufacturer showed signs of strength.
Lamborghini fires first shots
The two-day prologue set the early tone. Mirko Bortolotti put the #63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracán on top of the day one leaderboard. With teammates Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler, he showed the Italian marque could mount a strong campaign. Porsche and Ferrari also looked sharp, while BMW and Mercedes-AMG focused on consistent runs and endurance pace.
Day two produced an even spread of times. Porsche squads hovered near the front, Ferrari ran through long stints, and BMW’s factory outfits stayed in the mix. Mercedes-AMG also delivered steady pace. The test closed with no clear favourite, raising expectations for the GTWC Europe Paul Ricard season opener.
Mercedes and Porsche step up during Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying
When the full field assembled for official practice, the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed machine came out flying. Jules Gounon, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz kept the car consistently at the top, with Schiller’s lap ultimately topping the session. Their AMG GT3 looked both quick and reliable over long runs.
Pre-qualifying shifted momentum to Porsche. Laurin Heinrich produced a standout lap in the #22 Schumacher CLRT entry, supported by Ayhancan Güven and Klaus Bachler. Their performance underlined Porsche’s single-lap pace, giving the squad a boost ahead of qualifying. Ferrari’s #51 AF Corse car, led by Alessio Rovera alongside Vincent Abril and Alessandro Pier Guidi, also impressed with steady times that hinted at podium potential.
Margins that matter
Qualifying at Paul Ricard for the first GTWC Europe race showcased the razor-thin gaps across the grid. Heinrich once again delivered for Schumacher CLRT, keeping Porsche at the sharp end. Güven and Bachler reinforced the effort, with the trio showing real cohesion.
BMW and WRT responded. In the #32 M4 GT3 EVO, Charles Weerts, Kelvin van der Linde, and Ugo de Wilde combined for a front-row start. Each driver put together clean, consistent laps, making the car look like the most complete package heading into the race.
Mercedes-AMG teams were not far behind. The #17 GetSpeed AMG, with Gounon, Schiller, and Stolz, qualified inside the top six, while GruppeM also stayed in contention. Both showed sector one speed but lost time further around the lap.
Lamborghini kept themselves in the fight. Bortolotti hustled the #63 Huracán into the leading group, with Pepper and Engstler adding solid support. Ferrari rounded out the top battle with Rovera’s lap in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, placing the car just tenths away from the front two rows.
By the end of the session, the first three rows were split by less than three-tenths of a second. The message was clear: qualifying positions might set the stage, but strategy, traffic, and driver execution would decide the six-hour contest.
Team WRT turns consistency into victory
The six-hour GTWC Europe at Paul Ricard race delivered the drama expected. Gounon launched the GetSpeed Mercedes into an early scrap with Van der Linde’s BMW, while Heinrich kept Porsche in play. Rovera briefly moved the AF Corse Ferrari into podium contention, and Bortolotti’s Lamborghini stayed close.
The decisive moment came during the middle stints. WRT’s #32 BMW gained ground through a well-timed pit cycle. Van der Linde then produced a commanding double stint, stretching the gap on fresh tires. Porsche lost momentum after a slow stop, while Mercedes struggled with tire management as the evening cooled. Ferrari’s challenge ended when contact with traffic forced repairs for the #51.
From there, WRT managed the race. De Wilde delivered a mature stint to maintain the gap before handing over to Weerts. The Belgian kept calm under pressure and crossed the line first, securing victory for the #32 BMW and its trio of Weerts, Van der Linde, and De Wilde.
A season wide open
The GTWC Europe at Paul Ricard weekend confirmed how competitive the 2025 field is. Lamborghini struck early with Bortolotti in testing. Mercedes-AMG’s Gounon, Schiller, and Stolz looked sharp in practice. Porsche’s Heinrich, Güven, and Bachler topped pre-qualifying. Ferrari’s Rovera, Abril, and Pier Guidi showed flashes of podium pace.
Yet when it mattered, BMW and Team WRT delivered. Their combination of clean stints, sharp strategy, and consistency made the difference.
The season stretches far beyond Paul Ricard, with endurance and sprint rounds still to come at Spa, Misano, Nürburgring, Magny-Cours, Valencia, Zandvoort, and Barcelona. If the opener is any indication, the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe will be one of the most unpredictable and hotly contested seasons in recent memory.
