GT Winter Series Aragón: Team Engstler’s Hirsiger and Zulauf claim dominant Race 3 victory

After both Felix Hirsiger and Finn Zulauf narrowly missed victory in their individual races earlier in the weekend, the pair combined forces to dominate the final race of the GT Winter Series round at MotorLand Aragón. Sharing the #19 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Lamborghini Huracán GT3, Zulauf and Hirsiger delivered a commanding performance in the 55-minute Race 3 to secure the car’s first victory of the 2026 season.

For Hirsiger, the result marked his second outright win of the year, following his surprise victory aboard the team’s Ferrari Challenge car at Estoril.

Zulauf seizes the lead early

At the start, Kenneth Heyer led the field away from pole position in the #11 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3, but the lead changed hands almost immediately.

Starting from the second row, Finn Zulauf in the #19 Liqui Moly Team Engstler Lamborghini Huracán GT3 capitalised when Heyer ran wide on the second lap, allowing the Lamborghini to move into the lead.

Heyer dropped back into the clutches of the pursuing group, where championship leader Simon Orange, driving the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3, Guy Albag in the #64 Antonelli Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3, and Arūnas Gečiauskas in the #71 Juta Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 were all fighting for position.

Amid the scramble, Samuele Buttarelli in the #75 Rossocorsa Ferrari 296 Challenge grabbed the lead of the chasing pack and held on to it until the pit stops. The Ferrari used its strong top speed on Aragón’s long straights to stay ahead of the GT3 cars, while Przemyslaw Bienkowski in the #27 PTT Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 also joined the battle.

Pit stops shake up the order

While Zulauf steadily extended the Lamborghini’s advantage at the front, the midfield battles continued to unfold.

Albag’s race took a significant hit during the pit stop phase. In a tight stop duel with the Juta Racing crew, the Antonelli Motorsport team released the #64 Mercedes-AMG GT3 before completing the mandatory minimum pit stop time. The mistake later resulted in an 11-second post-race time penalty.

After the driver changes, Felix Hirsiger continued the race in the leading #19 Lamborghini, while Marcus Clutton took over the #67 Orange Racing McLaren from Orange and Jay Mo Härtling replaced Heyer in the #11 Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG.

Clutton and Härtling fight for the podium

In the second stint, Clutton and Härtling ran nose-to-tail as they attempted to close the gap to the cars ahead.

Ahead of them, Gečiauskas and Albag were locked in their own duel. The Lithuanian driver eventually outbraked Albag to take second place with around ten minutes remaining.

By that point, the McLaren and Mercedes had closed rapidly. Despite already knowing about the impending penalty, Albag forced Clutton to work hard for the move, with the McLaren driver completing a bold pass around the outside. Härtling soon followed through with a similar manoeuvre.

The pair then set their sights on the #71 Juta Racing Audi, and with only minutes remaining both drivers managed to find a way past Gečiauskas. Clutton secured second place for the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren 720S GT3, while Härtling completed the podium in the #11 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Commanding win for Team Engstler

While the battles behind provided plenty of action, the fight for victory was effectively settled long before the chequered flag.

After building a strong lead in the opening stint, Zulauf handed the #19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 over to Hirsiger, who maintained the advantage and continued to extend the gap.

The Liqui Moly Team Engstler entry ultimately crossed the line more than 25 seconds ahead of the field, sealing a dominant win in the final race of the Aragón weekend.

Class wins

The #75 Rossocorsa Ferrari 296 Challenge experienced a promising start before technical issues during the pit stop delayed the car, leaving Giacomo Rinaldo to recover to eighth overall as the leading non-GT3 entry.

Cup 2, the only class besides GT3 with multiple entries, was won by Igor Klaja in the #7 PTT Racing Team Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, finishing ahead of the #4 Nacente Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.

Petar Matić in the #32 Auto Sport Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo and Michael Fischbaum in the #18 Auto Sport Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo took class wins as the sole cars in their classes.

Championship fight heads to Barcelona

The championship battle remains tight heading into the final round. Just four points separate Orange Racing and SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm in the standings.

The GT Winter Series season concludes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the final three races of the 2026 campaign will take place on 12–15 March.