2025 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup: Brands Hatch Qualifying Report
Brands Hatch, UK – Emil Frey Racing and Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter secured pole positions for the season opener of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, showcasing strong performances in a tightly contested qualifying session.
Qualifying 1 Highlights
Thierry Vermeulen claimed pole for Race One in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 with a time of 1:23.374, placing him 0.185 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. "The team did a mega job; it was just a perfect qualifying," Vermeulen remarked.
Alessio Rovera of AF Corse’s #51 Ferrari initially captured provisional pole with a time of 1:23.328, but had this lap disqualified for exceeding track limits. His subsequent best of 1:23.559 secured him second on the grid. Marvin Kirchhöfer followed in third place with the #59 Garage 59 McLaren GT3 Evo, and Luca Engstler rounded out the top four in the #63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.
Completing the top five were Arthur Leclerc (#50 AF Corse Ferrari) and Lucas Auer (#48 Winward Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo). The top ten was rounded out by Ben Green, Hugo Cook, Adam Smalley, and Charles Weerts.
Lorens Lecertua took pole in the Silver Cup with a time of 1:24.022 in the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, qualifying 12th overall.
Qualifying 2 Highlights
Maro Engel delivered a dominant performance to secure pole for Race Two in the #48 Winward Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with a lap time of 1:23.240. "We know it can be very peaky in qualifying, and I nailed that one," Engel stated, eyeing a repeat of last season’s success.
Chris Lulham, in his first Sprint Cup appearance, marked an impressive debut by claiming Gold Cup pole in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari with a time of 1:23.267. Jordan Pepper and Sandy Mitchell followed in third and fourth positions, driving the #63 GRT Lamborghini and the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini, respectively.
Thomas Neubauer and Benjamin Goethe rounded out the top six in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari and #59 Garage 59 McLaren. The top ten was completed by Team WRT’s Kelvin van der Linde, Patric Niederhauser (#96 Rutronik Racing Porsche), and Vincent Abril (#51 AF Corse Ferrari).
Cesar Gazeau secured Silver Cup pole for Boutsen VDS with a time of 1:23.888, finishing 16th overall.
Additional Context
A total of 29 of the 30 entries participated in the qualifying sessions, as the #64 HRT Mustang GT3 was absent due to an accident in Pre-Qualifying. The race weekend will commence with back-to-back races tomorrow, set for 11:00 BST and 15:45 BST.
This season’s opener promises to deliver thrilling competition as teams leverage their qualifying results to gain an early advantage in the championship standings.
