Portimão’s rollercoaster layout provided plenty to talk about as GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup teams completed Thursday’s testing. The first impressions were encouraging, but with a busy circuit and a packed Friday ahead, nobody is getting carried away just yet. GT REPORT catches up with Eastalent Racing, Patrick Kolb and Lorenzo Patrese.
Eastalent Racing encouraged by early progress
Fourth place gave Eastalent Racing a positive start in Portugal. For Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase, however, the most useful lessons came from how their Audi responded during the session. The pair share the #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II with Simon Reicher. “It was just a test session, so you don’t know how everyone is driving, how much fuel, what kind of tyres, so it’s difficult to judge,” Winkelhock concludes. “We were P4, with 60 cars. I think that’s good. The car felt okay, but tomorrow counts.”
Friday will offer a clearer picture when qualifying puts the field’s preparations to the test. Until then, Eastalent can take confidence from the direction of its set-up work. “We made some minor changes, and the car was reacting to the changes very well, which does give me a confident feeling,” Haase explains.
Winkelhock expects tyre wear, traffic and the transition into darkness during the final stint to be among the weekend’s challenges. Finding space in qualifying is another concern, particularly when a promising gap can quickly disappear as cars ahead slow to prepare their laps: “In the race, I think it will also be difficult to overtake on this track,” he continues. “At the end, it’s a three-hour race, and many things can happen. But it’s for sure helpful to be somewhere near the front.”
Haase believes qualifying could produce a few surprises, leaving some of the quicker cars with work to do once the race begins. “A lot of strong cars could end up at the back, and a lot of other cars could end up at the front,” he says. “It could be quite mixed at the start.” With that comes a request to the rest of the grid: give each other room to race. “I hope that the whole field will be respectful,” Haase adds. “Everybody should drive respectfully towards each other. I think it’s a big topic.”
Lionspeed GP expects strategy to make the difference
Patrick Kolb and Lionspeed GP have already gathered some references from Portimao from winter testing earlier this year, but Thursday brought a reminder that the same circuit can present a different challenge in October. The Lionspeed GP teamowner is enjoying the venue, even if the conditions have changed considerably since his previous visit. “It’s a super cool track, a mega venue,” Kolb says ahead of free practice and qualifying day. “It’s a mega place to be. It will be interesting to see how racing goes with 60 cars on this track.”
That winter mileage provided a useful starting point. Now, with different temperatures and plenty of traffic to negotiate, Kolb expects keeping the tyres clean to become an important part of the race. “The main thing all of the cars are going to struggle with a lot is pick-up here on the track, especially if you do have to go off-line through traffic,” he explains. “That’s going to be quite challenging.” Moving off the racing line can leave tyres coated in loose rubber, making the next sequence of corners more difficult. On a busy track, avoiding that entirely may prove impossible.
For Kolb, the outcome could depend as much on the decisions made in the garage as on the pace of the car. “I think it’s going to be mainly one of those races where the guys in the pit box do their magic with getting the strategy right and utilising all of the situations which will probably come up,” he says. “I think it will be an eventful race. From a driving standpoint, keeping out of trouble and keeping within track limits will probably decide the race.”
Patrese keeps the bigger picture in mind
For Lorenzo Patrese, the priority is clear: leave enough margin to keep the championship ambitions intact. The Italian shares Kessel Racing’s #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with Dennis Marschall and Dustin Blattner in the Bronze Cup. While he likes what he has found at Portimão, he sees little reason to take unnecessary risks.
“The track is wonderful,” Patrese says. “It’s not nice to say, but this weekend we aim for kind of a relaxed weekend. For the championship, we don’t need a super result.” That does not mean abandoning the pursuit of a strong finish. It means recognising how quickly a crowded GT World Challenge race can turn against a crew.
“Obviously, we will still aim for it, but especially here, it’s important to stay out of trouble because there are so many cars,” he explains. “It’s easy to get caught up in something, so that’s the first aim.” Patrese also feels the circuit should suit the Ferrari. With the competitive running still to come, however, he is keeping expectations measured.
“I think it’s quite good for the Ferrari, so let’s see. There’s still a long way to go, but so far, so good.” Friday’s programme brings both free practice sessions and qualifying together before Saturday’s race. For some, that means a demanding day with little time to regroup. Patrese sees an advantage in staying behind the wheel and building a rhythm.
“I think it’s a little bit better because at least you drive the whole day, and then you have qualifying,” he says. There will be little waiting around before the first decisive session of the weekend. For Patrese, that suits just fine.
The first practice will start at 8:45 WEST, which is 9:45 CEST.
