Ferrari stamped its authority on Friday at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia. The Italian marque topped both Free Practice and Pre-Qualifying, confirming its strength ahead of the Sprint Cup finale. Earlier in the day, Kessel Racing set the pace in a shortened Free Practice session, while in the afternoon, Dennis Marschall again led the way in the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3. His performance gave Ferrari a commanding one-two-three in the GTWC Pre-Qualifying and underlined the marque’s position as the team to beat in Valencia.
Ferrari locks out the top three
Kessel Racing continued its impressive form with Marschall once again proving fastest. The German driver delivered a 1:31.992 during the second half of the one-hour Pre-Qualifying session in Valencia, putting the Bronze Cup entry on top of the overall standings. Behind him, AF Corse Francorchamps Motors ensured Ferrari locked out the next two positions. Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril steered the #51 Ferrari to second, just 0.054s adrift of Marschall’s benchmark, while Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer secured third in the #50 sister car. With three Ferraris at the head of the order, the Italian brand made a clear statement of intent going into qualifying and the races that will decide the Sprint Cup titles.
Mercedes-AMG chases closely
While Ferrari dominated the front, Mercedes-AMG emerged as the closest challenger. The #48 Winward Racing entry of Lucas Auer and Maro Engel finished fourth overall with a 1:32.169, keeping their championship ambitions alive heading into the decisive weekend. Boutsen VDS also enjoyed a strong session, placing both of its Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVOs inside the top six. Cesar Gazeau impressed in the #10 machine, securing fifth overall and topping the Silver Cup classification by a clear margin, while teammate Maxime Martin put the #9 car in sixth. The combined effort highlighted Mercedes-AMG’s ability to remain competitive despite Ferrari’s early dominance.
Porsche, Audi and McLaren in the mix during the GTWC Pre-Qualifying in Valencia
Beyond Ferrari and Mercedes, several other manufacturers showed promise. Lionspeed GP’s #89 Porsche, driven by Bastian Buus, placed seventh overall, keeping the Danish driver firmly in the hunt despite finishing six places behind his Bronze Cup rival Marschall. The best of the Gold Cup contenders was Gilles Magnus, who delivered a strong lap in the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi to finish eighth overall, reinforcing Audi’s potential at Valencia. Marvin Kirchhöfer secured ninth position for Garage 59 in the #59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, while Patric Niederhauser rounded out the top 10 in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche. With four different brands represented between seventh and tenth, the fight just outside the Ferrari-Mercedes battle looked wide open.
A difficult session for title leaders
Further down the order, several notable names faced challenges. Emil Frey Racing’s #69 Ferrari and CSA Racing’s #111 McLaren ran strongly within their classes, but the points-leading #32 Team WRT BMW struggled to make an impact. Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde could only manage 29th overall in the reigning champions’ car, leaving the Belgian squad with considerable work to do before qualifying. The result added further intrigue to the title battle, as rivals capitalised on WRT’s off-session.
With Ferrari sweeping the top three positions in Pre-Qualifying after also leading Free Practice, the Italian marque confirmed its pace on Spanish soil. The momentum is firmly on their side heading into qualifying, and with Valencia marking the final Sprint Cup weekend of the season, the stage is set for an intense showdown as the championship titles will be decided.
Results: GTWC Europe Pre-Qualifying Valencia
