GetSpeed topped the second free practice session for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at Portimão, with Fabian Schiller putting the #17 Mercedes-AMG GT3 on a 1:42.988. The #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi finished just 0.096s behind, while HRT Ford Racing completed the top three with the #65 Ford Mustang GT3.
After Audi and BMW had shown strong pace in the opening session, Mercedes-AMG responded by placing three cars inside the top five in FP2. Ford also enjoyed a competitive session, with the sister #64 HRT Mustang finishing sixth.
Early Full Course Yellow for Grasser Lamborghini
Running was interrupted early on when the #63 Lamborghini Temerario GT3 stopped out on track. A Full Course Yellow was deployed while the stranded car was recovered, briefly halting improvements on the timing screens. Once the track was clear, the session resumed without further major interruptions.
That gave teams a valuable opportunity to work through their programmes and refine their setups ahead of Friday evening’s qualifying. With the field closely matched, the final practice session offered one last chance to assess changes before the battle for grid positions.
Chris Lulham produced a late improvement to put the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry fourth. His 1:43.229, set with around six minutes remaining, left the car 0.241s behind the leading GetSpeed Mercedes. Max Verstappen had handled the opening stint, recording a 1:43.482, while Ben Barnicoat returned to the cockpit in the closing minutes.
Top six with variaty of manufacturers
The variety at the front extended beyond the leading three manufacturers. Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche were also represented inside the top ten, making it six different brands in the leading group. Among those towards the sharp end were the #96 Rutronik Racing Lamborghini, #23 Team RJN McLaren and #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche.
Meanwhile, the #84 Audi shared by Christopher Haase, Markus Winkelhock and Simon Reicher was unable to repeat its pace-setting performance from the morning session. Having led FP1, the crew ended the second practice with ground to recover as attention turned to qualifying.
Conditions will change again for the evening session. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 17:55 WEST – 18:55 CET – around sunset and finish after dark, bringing a different challenge after the warm daytime running. Adapting to the cooling track will be a key part of preparations as teams look to convert their practice work into a strong starting position.
