AF Corse and Winward share spoils in tightly-fought Brands Hatch opener

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

The 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup roared back into action at Brands Hatch this weekend, setting the tone for what promises to be one of the most competitive seasons in series history. Victory in Saturday’s opener went to AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors, while Winward Racing struck back on Sunday to kick-start their title defense. Across both contests, the margins were razor-thin, the racing was relentless, and the spoils were shared across seven manufacturers in the overall top 10.

Race 1

The curtain-raiser saw Vincent Abril and Alessio Rovera triumph in the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3, delivering a clinical performance backed by a perfectly executed pit stop. While the AF Corse duo only led for a handful of laps, their timing was flawless: Rovera extended his first stint by a lap, and the team’s rapid turnaround allowed Abril to rejoin just ahead of the early-stopping rivals.

What followed was a masterclass in racecraft. Abril withstood constant pressure from Benjamin Goethe in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren, the pair locked in a duel that never exceeded a gap of one second. Behind them, Chris Lulham in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari made a daring but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to snatch second, dipping two wheels into the grass at Druids. That opened the door for Goethe to slip past and claim the runner-up spot.

Lulham and teammate Thierry Vermeulen had the consolation of a Gold Cup win after an impressive showing from both drivers. They led early from pole and looked on course for an overall podium until the pit sequence reshuffled the order.

Behind the top three, Emil Frey’s #14 Ferrari and AF Corse’s #50 Ferrari completed a strong day for the Italian brand, securing fourth and fifth respectively. Winward Racing’s #48 Mercedes-AMG, driven by reigning champions Maro Engel and Lucas Auer, recovered to sixth, just ahead of the #32 Team WRT BMW.

In Silver Cup, drama unfolded post-race. The #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche had initially crossed the line first, but a five-second penalty for a pit infringement dropped them out of contention. This handed victory to the #52 AF Corse Ferrari of Marcos Siebert and Jef Machiels, ahead of the #992 Paradine Competition BMW and the #10 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG.

Race 2

Sunday’s contest saw Engel and Auer convert pole into victory for Winward Racing, securing their first win of the campaign and reasserting their title ambitions. Engel held firm at the start, fending off Lulham and Sandy Mitchell’s #78 Lamborghini, while a full-course yellow for a beached Grasser Racing entry briefly neutralised the race.

The safety car delayed the pit window, but once green-flag running resumed, the #48 Mercedes and the chasing pack immediately dived in. While the Emil Frey and Barwell cars lost time during their stops, Team WRT vaulted into contention thanks to a lightning turnaround that brought Charles Weerts out in second, right on Auer’s tail.

A second full-course yellow bunched the field again, but Auer was faultless at the restart and managed the closing stages perfectly to take the win by 1.3 seconds. Weerts settled for second, while Rutronik Racing completed the podium courtesy of Sven Müller and Patric Niederhauser.

Fourth and fifth went to the #50 AF Corse and #14 Emil Frey Ferraris, both of which had initially been demoted for Full Course Yellow infringements, but were reinstated after review. Garage 59 took sixth with Goethe and Kirchhöfer, just ahead of Barwell Motorsport and a charging #777 AlManar Racing BMW.

That eighth-place finish gave Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann a Gold Cup victory after a rapid pit stop helped them leapfrog the competition. The #69 Emil Frey Ferrari completed a consistent weekend with second in class, while the ever-reliable #88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi claimed another class podium.

Boutsen VDS emerged victorious in Silver Cup after a tense battle. Their #10 Mercedes-AMG, driven by Aurélien Panis and Cesar Gazeau, converted class pole into victory and held on despite post-race reviews that briefly appeared to have dropped them behind Tresor Attempto’s Audi. Ultimately, the French squad was reinstated as class winners.