GTWC Europe Paul Ricard: Aston Martin seals late victory as Thiim charges to first

The opening round of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS delivered a spectacular start to the season at Circuit Paul Ricard, where the #7 Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi surged to victory in the closing minutes. Their Comtoyou Racing entry overturned what had looked like a certain win for the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter.

Maro Engel in the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 started from pole position but made a poor getaway. The #58 McLaren of Benji Goethe immediately attacked from P2, though Engel braked later and impressively held the lead. Further back, chaos erupted as the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche and the #555 CSA Racing McLaren were eliminated in a multi-car incident, triggering a lengthy Safety Car period.

Once racing resumed, the action immediately reignited. The #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche drew attention thanks to two brilliant overtakes by 22-year-old Bastian Buus on Kelvin van der Linde and Frederik Schandorff, moving from P8 to P6.

After the first round of pit stops and driver changes, the #80 Porsche again stole the spotlight—this time with Thomas Preining at the wheel. The four Mercedes-AMGs ahead of him went four-wide down the long straight, and Preining smartly stayed tucked in behind them, using the slipstream to sweep around the outside and climb from P4 to P2.

Lionspeed, however, would not see the finish, retiring with steering issues.

In the closing stages, the action ramped up again due to a late Safety Car. The victory for the #48 Mercedes, which had dominated since the start, suddenly looked under threat. The cooler evening temperatures seemed to favour the #7 Aston Martin of Nicki Thiim, Marco Sørensen and Mattia Drudi, which was running second with several lapped cars ahead.

With ten minutes remaining, the Safety Car peeled in and Thiim launched a full attack for the win. The gap to the Mercedes—now driven by Lucas Auer—shrunk rapidly, and moments later the Aston Martin swept past to take the lead and ultimately the victory.