GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS delivered Race 1 at Brands Hatch, with plenty of action across the field and several key moments shaping the outcome. AF Corse ultimately secured the victory, with Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer taking the win after post-race penalties changed the final classification.
Early Start
At the start, Ricardo Feller in the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R kept the lead ahead of Arthur Leclerc in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 . Behind them, Dani Juncadella in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 moved up to second after getting past Matisse Lismont.
The opening phase saw several incidents. Mattia Michelotto in the #163 VSR Lamborghini Temerario GT3 spun into the gravel, but the race continued without a safety car. Soon after, Robin Knutsson in the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R crashed heavily after contact with Simon Birch in the #914 Razoon Porsche, bringing out a red flag for barrier repairs. Birch later received a 20-second stop-and-go penalty, while Luca Engstler was also given a 10-second penalty for causing a separate collision.
After the restart, Arthur Leclerc began to close the gap to Feller, reducing the margin to under one second as the pit window approached.
Lionspeed setback
When the pit window opened, Feller handed over to Bastian Buus in the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche, while Leclerc and Juncadella stayed out longer. The strategy played a key role, as Chris Lulham in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing delivered a strong inlap and jumped ahead during the pit cycle, taking the net lead of the race.
Following the pit stops, Bastian Buus began to struggle and lost positions to several cars. The #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche later retired from the race due to a steering issue, ending their chances after leading the early stages.
A Full Course Yellow was deployed after Alex Aka in the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 went into the gravel.
Penalties shape the final result
On track, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing of Dani Juncadella and Chris Lulham crossed the line in first place, overcoming a five-second penalty for a pit stop infringement by just over a second.
However, immediately after the race, multiple penalties were applied for yellow flag infringements. Several cars received drive-through penalties converted into 30-second time penalties, including the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG. As a result, Juncadella and Lulham dropped down to P13, outside the points.
This promoted Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 to victory. Morris Schuring and Dorian Boccolacci in the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R finished second, followed by Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde in the #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 in third.
Amaury Cordeel and Jordan Pepper in the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 finished fourth, ahead of Konsta Lappalainen and Matteo Cairoli in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 in fifth. Lucas Auer and Maro Engel in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 came home in sixth.
Aleksei Nesov and Aliaksandr Malykhin in the #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche 911 GT3 R finished seventh overall and secured the Silver Cup win, while Tommaso Mosca and Matias Zagazeta in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 finished eighth overall and claimed victory in the Gold Cup.
Thomas Fleming and Louis Prette in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 finished ninth, while Nicki Thiim and Kobe Pauwels in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 completed the top ten.
The action continues with Race 2 scheduled at 15:45 BST (16:45 CEST).
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