Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter kicked off the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS season in commanding fashion, clinching pole position for this afternoon’s six-hour endurance race at Circuit Paul Ricard. The Texan squad’s #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Lucas Auer, Matteo Cairoli, and Maro Engel, led a Mercedes one-two, edging out the #17 GetSpeed entry by a mere 0.123 seconds in a fiercely competitive combined qualifying session.
The qualifying, held under dry conditions with an air temperature of 13.9°C and a track temperature of 18.9°C, saw all 59 entrants complete three segments without incident, setting the stage for a thrilling race. Auer set the tone in Q1 with a blistering 1:53.646 on lap three, topping the session. Cairoli followed suit in Q2, posting a 1:53.940 on lap four to maintain the team’s dominance. Engel, despite a relatively subdued 12th in Q3 with a 1:53.512, benefited from his teammates’ pace to secure pole with an average time of 1:53.699 across the three sessions.
The #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Lucas Stolz, Jules Gounon, and Fabian Schiller, claimed second with an average of 1:53.822. The trio showed consistency, with times of 1:54.035 (Q1), 1:54.154 (Q2), and 1:53.837 (Q3), but couldn’t match the #48’s outright speed. Just 0.015 seconds behind, the #63 Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo, piloted by Marco Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Jordan Pepper, took third with an average of 1:53.837, showcasing the tight margins at the top.
Garage 59’s #59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo rounded out the top four, driven by Joseph Loake, Max Kreutner, and Ben Goethe. Loake, making his GT3 debut, impressed with a fifth-place finish in Q1 (1:54.038), helping his team secure an average of 1:53.930. Two Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) entries followed, with Schumacher CLRT’s #22 (Ayhancan Güven, Laurin Heinrich, Klaus Bachler) narrowly outpacing Rutronik Racing’s #96 (Michael Ulen, Florian Niedrich) by 0.015 seconds for fifth. Bachler stole the spotlight in Q3, setting the fastest lap of the day at 1:53.091, underlining Porsche’s potential for the race.
Class Battles Heat Up
In the Gold Cup, Garage 59 dominated with a McLaren 1-2-3. The #58 crew of Adam Smalley, Dean MacDonald, and Louis Prette claimed class pole and eighth overall (1:54.159 average), ahead of CSA Racing’s #111 (1:54.238) and Team RJN’s #23 (1:54.264). Verstappen.com Racing’s #7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo finished fourth in class, 12th overall (1:54.392).
The Bronze Cup saw another Garage 59 triumph, with the #188 McLaren (Miguel Ramos, Guilherme Oliveira, Thomas Fleming) taking pole and 16th overall (1:54.456). Fleming’s standout third-place in Q3 (1:53.496) bolstered their effort. Kessel Racing’s #8 Ferrari 296 GT3 (21st overall, 1:54.614) and Winward Racing’s #81 Mercedes-AMG (32nd overall, 1:55.230) followed.
The Silver Cup, featuring 17 entries, was topped by VSR’s #60 Lamborghini (Michele Beretta, Alessio Deledda, Finlay Hutchison) with a 1:54.418 average, securing 14th overall. Their consistent pace—never topping a session but always near the front—proved decisive. Tresor Attempto Racing’s #99 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II (1:54.856) and Comtoyou Racing’s #21 Aston Martin (1:54.708) trailed closely, hinting at a fierce class battle.
Data Insights: A Tight Field
Analysis of the full results reveals a remarkably close field, with less than one second separating the top 25 cars’ average times. The #48 Mercedes-AMG’s pole-winning average of 1:53.699 was just 0.987 seconds ahead of the 25th-placed #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin. The top 10 alone featured five manufacturers—Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, and Aston Martin—highlighting the series’ diversity and competitiveness.
Session-by-session consistency was key. The #48’s Q1 and Q2 dominance allowed Engel’s off-day in Q3 to go unpunished, while the #17 GetSpeed’s steady improvement across sessions (from third in Q1 to fourth in Q3) secured their front-row spot. Bachler’s Q3 heroics for Schumacher CLRT, however, suggest they could challenge for the podium despite starting fifth.
At the tail end, the #85 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 (51st, 1:56.131 average) struggled, with a particularly slow Q1 (1:58.209), but still finished within 2.5 seconds of pole. This tight spread across 59 cars underscores the high level of preparation and driver talent in the field.
Looking Ahead
With the grid set, the six-hour race kicks off at 18:00 CEST, promising intense battles across the Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories. Mercedes-AMG’s front-row lockout gives them a strategic edge, but the pace shown by Lamborghini, McLaren, and Porsche—particularly Bachler’s flyer—suggests the fight for victory is far from decided. Fans can catch live coverage on the GT World YouTube channel.
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