Race Report: International GT Open – Round 1, Barcelona
In a stunning display of strategy and performance, Christian Mansell and Maximilian Götz clinched victory in Race 1 of the 2026 International GT Open season finale at Barcelona, driving the #71 Team Motopark Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. This win marks their second of the season, following a disappointing outing at Monza.
Starting from pole position, Mansell maintained his lead despite an early multi-car incident that prompted a safety car deployment. This incident, triggered at Turn 2, involved Zac Meakin’s #33 Greystone GT McLaren, which struck Nikita Mazepin’s #99 Motopark Mercedes, leading to a chain reaction with several other cars. Notably, championship leader Tom Lebbon in the #17 Elite Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo narrowly avoided severe damage but was left without points.
As the race unfolded, Mansell and Götz built a substantial lead, culminating in a 13.496-second victory after 37 laps, despite a late clash between Dexter Müller and Dominik Baumann that resulted in a full-course yellow. Notably, the safety measures allowed the #33 McLaren to retain its position despite a 10-second penalty for Meakin, showcasing the strategic impact of race protocols.
“Today was an amazing showcase of what we’ve been able to do all season,” Mansell stated post-race. “It’s a credit to Motopark and Mercedes.”
Götz echoed these sentiments, emphasizing their performance despite a challenging season: “In the end, Christian did an amazing job… we deserved it.”
ZRS Motorsport’s #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, driven by Pietro Armanni and Alex Fontana, finished second after starting from 14th, showcasing exceptional grit throughout the race. The Greystone GT McLaren secured third place, further tightening the championship race as they closed in on the standings leaders.
The championship leaders heading into the decisive Race 2 are still Lebbon and Tom Emson with 138 points, closely followed by Meakin and Macdonald at 132 and 127 points, respectively.
In the Pro-Am category, Fach/Schwarzer in the #11 Fach Auto Tech Porsche finished sixth overall, claiming victory in their class, and Karol Basz with Olimp Racing rounded out the Pro-Am standings in 13th.
The action continues with qualifying for Race 2 scheduled for 09:00 CET tomorrow.
