GT World Challenge Europe: Garage 59 Dominates Barcelona, Rutronik Racing Crowned Champions After Last-Grasp Overtake

The #58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S EVO GT3 of Dean Macdonald, Louis Prette, and Adam Smalley claimed victory in the season-ending GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The trio dominated the three-hour contest to secure both overall and Gold Cup class wins, capping off a strong season for the Garage 59 squad.

While Garage 59 celebrated on the top step, Rutronik Racing clinched the Endurance Cup championship title, finishing just high enough in the standings to edge out the #48 Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes and the #32 Team WRT BMW after a tense finale.

Drama Before the Start

The championship-contending #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 of Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts, and Ugo de Wilde was handed a 10-place grid penalty after De Wilde improved his lap time under yellow flag conditions in Qualifying 3. As a result, the crew dropped from 21st to 35th on the starting grid, making their title challenge even tougher.

Elsewhere, the #112 CSA Racing McLaren was forced to start from the pit lane after an engine change, while the #81 Winward Mercedes-AMG struggled with mechanical gremlins during the formation laps.

Early Incidents and Safety Car

Chaos erupted early when #42 Century Motorsport BMW and #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche made contact, bringing out the Safety Car. Both Will Moore and Ralf Bohn managed to continue, albeit with visible damage.

More trouble followed as Arjun Maini’s #64 Haupt Mustang and Fabian Duffieux’s #888 UNX Porsche sustained damage, but the Safety Car soon returned to the pits, allowing Dean Macdonald to lead the restart.

Restart and Lead Battle

On the restart, Jules Gounon (#17 GetSpeed Mercedes) overtook Benji Goethe (#59 Garage 59 McLaren) for second place, while Macdonald extended his advantage up front. Meanwhile, Charles Weerts began climbing through the field, moving from P31 to P25 in the opening stint after the pre-race penalty.

Several drivers—including Dustin Blattner, Maro Engel, Maximilian Götz, Ayhancan Güven, and Mikey Porter—came under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 1.

Mid-Race Chaos

Contact continued when Jessica Hawkins (#270 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin) suffered a puncture after being hit by Ghanim Al Ali (#27 QMMF by Saintéloc Audi). Moments later, a huge crash at Turn 5 between Rinat Salikhov (#18 Winward Mercedes) and Nicolò Rosi (#8 Kessel Ferrari) brought another Full Course Yellow. Rosi’s Ferrari was destroyed after heavy contact with the wall.

In another twist, the #59 Garage 59 McLaren, which had been running in the top positions, suffered a power failure and was wheeled back into the garage.

Several cars—including Conrad Laursen (#74 Kessel Ferrari), Mikaël Grenier (#9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes), Alessandro Ghiretti (#22 CLRT Porsche), James Allen (#5 Optimum McLaren), and most notably championship leader Matteo Cairoli (#48 MANN-FILTER Mercedes)—were handed 10-second time penalties to be served at their next pit stop.

Mechanical Issues and More Penalties

The #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG later lost power and limped back to the pits, while Alfred Renauer’s #92 Herberth Porsche got stuck in the gravel at Turn 3, triggering another FCY.

Sven Müller damaged his front bumper after contact with Yifei Ye, and Antonio Fuoco executed a clean overtake on Ugo de Wilde for eighth place. The #19 GRT Grasser Lamborghini of Isaac Tutumlu López received a 30-second penalty for track limits.

A heavy crash for Rocco Mazzola (#88 Tresor Attempto Audi) added to the drama, causing a long FCY period.

Final Hour Battles

As the race entered its final phase, Louis Prette took command, leading by over 11 seconds ahead of Jens Klingmann, Arthur Leclerc, and Raffaele Marciello.

Patric Niederhauser closed the gap to Harry King (#33 Verstappen.com Aston Martin), reducing it to under half a second. Still in eighth place and with Lucas Auer outside the points and still with a penalty to serve, Niederhauser needed one more position to score enough points for the championship title. With time running out, the Swiss pilot found an opportunity after King slightly ran wide and put his Rutronik Porsche cleanly in front of the Aston Martin. It was the decisive move for the championship.

Checkered Flag

After three hours of intense racing and countless twists, the #58 Garage 59 McLaren claimed victory both overall and in the Gold Cup class. It was a statement win for the Garage 59 squad and the first Endurance win for McLaren since 2016, wrapping up the 2025 Endurance Cup season in dramatic style at Barcelona.

18 seconds behind the McLaren, another Gold Cup crew took second place as Jens Klingmann, Ben Tuck, and Al Faisal Al Zubair drove the #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO to the podium ahead of the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, and Raffaele Marciello. Eliseo Donno, Antonio Fuoco, and Arthur Leclerc claimed fourth place aboard the #50 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari 296 GT3.

WRT’s Impressive Comeback Drive

Despite starting from P35 due to their grid penalty, Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts, and Ugo de Wilde staged an impressive comeback in the #32 Team WRT BMW, climbing 25 positions to finish sixth overall at Barcelona-Catalunya.

Their strong recovery drive helped the trio beat Lucas Auer and Maro Engel in the combined GT World Challenge Europe championship standings, showcasing the consistency and determination that have defined WRT’s season.

Gold Cup — Verstappen.com Racing Crowned Champions

Verstappen.com Racing are the 2025 Gold Cup champions. Drivers Harry King, Chris Lulham, and Thierry Vermeulen finished third in class with their Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, securing enough points to seal the title in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Their consistent pace and podium finishes throughout the season earned them a well-deserved championship in a highly competitive Gold Cup field that was on full display today.

Silver Cup

Alex Aka, Leonardo Moncini, and Sebastian Øgaard took Silver Cup victory at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Tresor Attempto Racing, finishing fifth overall after a strong and consistent run. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II crew delivered a clean race, managing pace and strategy perfectly to secure the class win in Montmeló.

Meanwhile, Mex Jansen, Will Moore, and Jarrod Waberski became the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Cup champions with the #42 Century Motorsport BMW, wrapping up the season with enough points to clinch the title despite not finishing on the podium at Barcelona.

Bronze Cup

The Bronze Cup championship-winning Kessel Racing Ferrari of Dustin Blattner, Conrad Laursen and Dennis Marschall rounded off the season on a high, adding another strong finish to secure the title.

Barcelona Finale

With the chequered flag falling at Barcelona, the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season comes to a close after months of intense racing, dramatic battles and emotional victories across Europe’s most iconic circuits.