Ben Green and Konsta Lappalainen combined to secure their maiden Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS wins in today’s Sprint Cup contest at Hockenheim, returning Emil Frey Racing to the top step of the podium after a three-year absence.
The #14 Ferrari owed its victory to the efforts of both drivers and their team, with a fast pit stop helping to ensure crucial track position for the second half of the race. They beat the #32 Team WRT BMW and the #48 Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG, whose title battle continues to ebb and flow as the season enters its deciding phase.
Luca Engstler took the start from pole aboard the #6 Liqui-Moly Team Engstler by OneGroup Lamborghini and fought off Ricardo Feller (#99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi) through the opening sequence of corners. Though it was not evident at the time, Lappalainen made a vital pass on Dries Vanthoor to move from fourth to third, sweeping around the outside of the #32 BMW at Turn 1.
After showing early pace Feller could not maintain his pursuit of Engstler, falling away from the race-leading Lamborghini and into the clutches of Lappalainen. Things went from bad to worse for the Tresor Attempto squad when Feller suffered a suspected front-left suspension failure, ending his challenge after just 15 minutes.
Engstler continued to ease clear, but his excellent work was undone when the #11 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin became beached in the Turn 1 gravel, requiring a brief Safety Car neutralisation. This bunched up the pack and seemed to play into the hands of Team WRT, which has regularly been able to make major gains during the pit stop window.
Indeed, this would prove to be the decisive phase of the race. After producing a brilliant opening stint, the #6 Lamborghini lost out significantly due to a problem changing the front-right wheel. The #32 Team WRT BMW made a solid stop as Charles Weerts took over from Dries Vanthoor, but the Emil Frey Racing crew rose to the occasion by servicing its Ferrari almost half a second faster than its rival.
This small margin would prove crucial as Green returned to the track ahead of Weerts. The British driver has often shown impressive pace this season, particularly during Sprint Cup qualifying. Now in clean air and with a fast car beneath him, Green was able to stretch his legs. Unable to challenge for the lead, Weerts focussed on defending from title rival Lucas Auer in the #48 Mercedes-AMG. The Winward Racing Team Mann-Filter squad had made good progress from 10th on the grid thanks to Maro Engel, though Auer could not launch a serious assault on the BMW.
Out front, Green crossed the line to secure Emil Frey Racing its first overall win since the Sprint Cup visited Zandvoort in 2021. The #32 BMW beat the #48 Mercedes-AMG to second spot, moving Weerts and Vanthoor back to the top of the drivers’ standings with a two-point advantage over Auer and Engel. The #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG was fourth after an excellent race performance from Maximilian Götz and Jules Gounon, who climbed from 12th on the grid and produced some entertaining racing along the way.
The #30 Team WRT BMW of Calan Williams and Sam De Haan was fifth overall and returned to winning ways in the Silver Cup. The #71 AF Corse Ferrari led the opening stint, but a slow pit stop cost its crew of Tom Fleming and Eliseo Donno any chance of victory. In contrast, the #30 BMW received a brilliant service from Team WRT and secured its fifth overall top 10 from six races.
In the Gold Cup, Tresor Attempto Racing led an Audi one-two with its all-Italian line-up of Lorenzo Ferrari and Lorenzo Patrese, who beat the #111 CSA Racing entry of Simon Gachet and Lucas Légeret to take the win. This duo finished seventh and ninth respectively, separated by the #159 Garage 59 McLaren. The #90 Madpanda Motorsport Mercedes-AMG rounded out the top 10 after producing the fastest pit stop of the day.
Century Motorsport completed a Bronze Cup sweep with its #991 BMW. Darren Leung took the start and immediately jumped to second in class behind the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Dustin Blattner. The British squad then moved to the lead after the pit stops were complete, with BMW factory driver Dan Harper producing excellent pace to put the victory beyond doubt.
Barwell Motorsport finished as runner-up with its #78 Lamborghini after running a longer opening stint than its rivals, with the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari finishing third. Indeed, Sunday’s Bronze Cup podium was a repeat of Saturday’s top three.
Fanatec GT Europe is back in action next weekend when the Endurance Cup returns with a three-hour race at the Nürburgring (26–28 July). The Sprint campaign will resume four weeks later, with Magny-Cours staging the penultimate round of the short-format series on 23–25 August.