Italian GT Sprint Monza: BMW Ceccato Racing Wins Race 1 To Seize Title Advantage as Frassineti's Hopes Take a Hit

The five-way title fight in the Italian GT Sprint Championship has narrowed to just two contenders after an action-packed opening race at Monza. BMW Italia–Ceccato Racing’s #1 BMW M4 GT3 of Jens Klingmann and Jesse Krohn took control of the standings with a commanding victory, while the #63 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 of title contender Andrea Frassineti and co-driver Edoardo Liberati saw Frassineti’s championship hopes take a blow.

Strong start gives Ceccato BMW early control

Starting from the front row alongside Mattia Michelotto’s #66 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3, Klingmann made a decisive getaway to seize the lead into the Variante del Rettifilo, keeping his BMW ahead through the first-lap chaos. The German driver was chased closely throughout the opening stint by Michelotto, Frassineti’s team-mate in the sister car, but kept everything under control as he led the field through the first half of the race.

Klingmann handed over to Krohn during the mid-race pit stops, with the Ceccato BMW serving its nine-seconds success penalty. The Finn rejoined in third place, just behind Daniele Di Amato in the #55 Nova Race Honda NSX GT3 and Ignazio Zanon aboard the #66 Lamborghini, who had taken over the lead.

With ten minutes remaining, Krohn launched his charge—first outbraking Di Amato into Parabolica to move into second, then closing down Zanon in the closing laps. With four minutes to go, the Finn slipstreamed past the Lamborghini before Parabolica, reclaiming the lead and sealing the victory for Ceccato Racing.

Nova Race Honda and VSR complete the podium

Behind the race-winning BMW, the #55 Nova Race Events Honda NSX GT3 of Leonardo Moncini and Daniele Di Amato delivered a consistent run to second place after a late pass by Di Amato on Zanon. Completing the podium were Zanon and Michelotto in the Pro-Am-classed #66 VSR Lamborghini.

The second Ceccato BMW of Leonardo Caglioni and William Alatalo finished fourth, ahead of both AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3s—the #51 of Lorenzo Ferrari and Mahaveer Raghunathan and the #62 of Leonardo Colavita and Ibrahima Badawi.

The results also saw Michelotto and Zanon secure the Pro-Am win for VSR and extend their class lead in the championship ahead of Leonardo Caglioni and William Alatalo in the #2 BMW Ceccato Racing BMW M4 GT3. Huilin Han triumphed in the Am category with his #39 Target Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 after the #88 Tresor Attempto Audi retired early, allowing Han to close the points gap to Alberto Clementi Pisani and Marco Cassarà to eleven points.

First-corner drama for Frassineti and VSR

Further back, Andrea Frassineti’s title bid took an early hit when the #63 VSR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driven by Edoardo Liberati was hit by Lorenzo Ferrari’s AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 in the melee at Turn 1, sending Liberati into a spin. Forced to rejoin from the back, the VSR pairing faced an uphill recovery through the field.

Recovering from the early spin, Liberati and later Frassineti fought their way back into the points. A fierce late battle with Fabio Rauer in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 erupted. The duel went the way of Frassineti, who crossed the line seventh to salvage crucial championship points.

Championship outlook: Ceccato in control, VSR still in the fight

With Race 1 complete, Klingmann and Krohn lead the standings on 92 points, with Frassineti seven points behind on 85, while Liberati sits further back on 62. Caglioni and Alatalo follow closely on 61, ensuring the #63 VSR Lamborghini duo of Frassineti and Liberati has a championship fight on multiple fronts.

Heading into Sunday’s decider, the title equation is clear: the BMW crew can secure the championship with a second-place finish, regardless of what with Frassineti. Frassineti, meanwhile, needs at least fifth place to have a shot at overturning the gap.

Race 2 begins on Sunday at 13:30 CET, with Andrea Frassineti on pole, William Alatalo alongside in the #2 BMW Italia–Ceccato Racing BMW M4 GT3, and BMW team-mate Jesse Krohn starting right behind the VSR Lamborghini in third for the final showdown of the 2025 Italian GT Sprint season.