The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS is a motor racing championship for GT3 cars, marking the 12th edition of the GT World Challenge Europe. Organised by the SRO Motorsports Group, it forms the European part of the broader GT World Challenge, which also includes GT World Challenge America, GT World Challenge Australia and GT World Challenge Asia. The championship splits into the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup, each with its respective titles, alongside the overall GT World Challenge Europe championship. The season will take place over ten rounds at various European circuits. The annual season prologue, which acts as the championship's pre-season testing, took place between 10 and 11 March 2025, with testing for the 24 Hours of Spa occurring between 13 and 14 May 2025. Racing commenced in April and will conclude in October.
The championship divides into four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Pro cars have no driver restrictions and compete for the overall drivers' and teams' championships. Pro cars are limited to just three drivers at the 24 Hours of Spa. Gold entries compete in the Gold Cup, consisting of Gold drivers and one Silver driver per car. Cars in the Silver Cup are made up entirely of Silver class drivers. Lastly, entries in the Bronze Cup have a maximum driver quality line-up of a Platinum and a Bronze driver at Sprint rounds, with additional Silver drivers eligible for entry at Endurance rounds.[1]
All Sprint Cup rounds consist of two one-hour races, totalling 15 races throughout the season, alongside the single 3-hour (Monza, Nürburgring and Barcelona), 6-hour (Paul Ricard), or 24-hour (Spa) races in the Endurance Cup rounds.
The 2025 calendar sees Circuit Paul Ricard return to the popular weekend format of a 6-hour endurance race to open the season. The championship used this format between 2015 and 2023, and it will act as the season opener.
Circuit Zandvoort and Circuit Ricardo Tormo also return to the calendar after a one-year absence. Notably, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will not return in 2025, being replaced by Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the season closer, which reverts to the Endurance Cup. Additionally, Hockenheim will not host a round in 2025.[3]
Bronze Cup entries will not compete at the Brands Hatch round and will instead begin their Sprint Cup season at Misano World Circuit, the second round of the Sprint Cup and the third round of the season.
Arthur Leclerc, a former Formula 2 driver and current F1 development driver for Scuderia Ferrari, made his championship debut with AF Corse in the Ferrari 296 GT3 at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Mercedes-AMG makes a factory-supported push for the overall championship in 2025, with Team Mann-Filter's Maro Engel and Lucas Auer defending their title in the No. 48 car.[18] Maxime Martin will join Mercedes-AMG, racing the No. 9 for Boutsen VDS throughout the season.[8] AF Corse leads Ferrari’s full-season effort with two Pro cars, featuring Arthur Leclerc as the full-season driver of the No. 50. In the sister No. 51 car, Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril will compete for the entire season.[19] Rutronik Racing's Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller return in 2025, leading Porsche's charge for the overall title in the No. 96.[31]
Team WRT is also back with Charles Weerts competing for the overall championship in the No. 32 alongside Kelvin van der Linde, who steps in for series veteran Dries Vanthoor.[16] After sitting out 2024, Lamborghini returns with Grasser Racing for a full season Pro entry with Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler piloting the whole season in the No. 63 car.[6] For McLaren, Garage 59 fields Marvin Kirchöfer as Benjamin Goethe returns for the entire season in the No. 59.[21] Lastly, Walkenhorst Motorsport's Henrique Chavez will race the whole season in the No. 34/35 (Endurance/Sprint) Aston Martin.[12]
In the Gold Cup, AlManer Racing by WRT features the No. 777 BMW, driven by Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann.[16] Audi makes a comeback with the No. 88 Tresor Attempto Racing car, driven by Leonardo Moncini and Sebastian Øgaard, competing for the full-season Gold Cup.[23] Garage 59 also fields a full-season Gold Cup entry with their No. 58, piloted by Adam Smalley and Louis Prette.[21]
In the Silver Cup, Barwell Motorsport returns with the No. 76 Lamborghini driven by Christian Bogle for the whole season.[25] Paradine Competition (No. 992) and Team WRT (No. 30) also have full-season BMW entries for young drivers Mex Jansen and Maxime Oosten, and Gustav Bergström and Gilles Stadsbader, respectively.[16] Comtoyou Racing's No. 21 Aston Martin and Tresor Attempto Racing's No. 99 Audi are also entered as full-season Silver Cup entries.[12][23] Additionally, Boutsen VDS' No. 10 and Grasser Racing's No. 19 join the Silver Cup alongside their overall Pro competitors.[6][7]
In the Bronze Cup, 2024 class champions Tempesta Racing return with Marco Pulcini taking over from Jonathan Hui in the No. 93. Eddie Cheever III continues as a full-season entry for his seventh consecutive year.[20] Paradine Competition's No. 991, Kessel Racing's No. 74, and Tressor Attempto Racing's No. 66 are all entered as full-season Bronze entries.[16][23][24] Finally, Winward Racing (No. 81) and Comtoyou Racing (No. 270) will also compete in the Bronze Cup alongside their overall Pro entries.[18][41]
SRO Motorsports Group will adopt Pirelli's new P Zero DHG tyres for GT World Challenge Europe in 2025. These slick racing tyres offer improved performance, faster warm-up, and greater consistency over long distances. They also feature FSC-certified natural rubber. The DHG replaces the DHF, which has been used globally for three years. Pirelli, SRO's exclusive tyre supplier since 2013, will continue its partnership until at least 2028.[65]
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R made its championship debut in 2025. Steller Motorsport will enter it in both the Sprint Cup and the Endurance Cup.
The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe includes strong entries for both the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup, with 59 cars in the Endurance Cup expected to increase during the 24 Hours of Spa. The Sprint Cup anticipates a grid of 41 cars, but the Bronze Cup won't participate in the opening round at Brands Hatch, leading to a 32-car entry. Manufacturer participation has grown to ten brands, with Corvette returning for the first time since 2014. Stéphane Ratel, CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, noted the series’ growth and new team additions, showcasing the appeal of GT3 racing nearing its 20th anniversary.[66]
In the opening race, BMW achieved victory at Circuit Paul Ricard, as Team WRT's No. 32 car advanced from ninth position on the grid to clinch the six-hour endurance event. The driving responsibilities for the car were shared among Charles Weerts, Ugo De Wilde, and Kelvin van der Linde. Van der Linde executed the key overtaking manoeuvre on the leading No. 96 Rutronik Porsche, ultimately securing the win by 4.3 seconds. This victory served as a successful debut for the new M4 GT3 EVO model in the championship. The race also featured a strong performance from Porsche, which secured a double podium finish with its No. 96 and No. 22 entries. The top seven positions included entries from Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, another BMW, and McLaren. Class winners at the event included CSA Racing's No. 111 McLaren in the Gold Cup, Paradine Competition's No. 992 BMW in the Silver Cup, and Kessel Racing's No. 74 Ferrari in the Bronze Cup. The race was characterised by minimal incidents, with no safety car interventions and only four retirements from a competitive 59-car field.[67]
AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors won the first sprint race of the second round at Brands Hatch after a tightly contested event in which just eight seconds separated the top nine finishers. Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril secured victory in the No. 51 Ferrari, edging out the No. 59 Garage 59 McLaren by only 0.658 seconds, aided by a superb pit stop. Ferrari dominated the opening race of the weekend, winning both the Gold Cup (with the No. 69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari) and the Silver Cup (after the No. 52 AF Corse Ferrari was promoted post-race due to a penalty for the No. 97 Rutronik Porsche) alongside the overall victory. All 30 cars completed the race without incident in a clean, safety car-free contest.[68]
Maro Engel and Lucas Auer claimed a commanding victory in the second sprint, leading from pole in the No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG. Despite a tight contest where the lead never stretched beyond two seconds, they fended off a hard-charging Weerts in the No. 32 Team WRT BMW to win by 1.3 seconds. Auer executed a clean restart after two full-course yellow periods, maintaining the lead to the finish. The No. 96 Rutronik Porsche secured third, thanks to a strong pit stop and driving from Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller. The race highlighted the intense competitiveness of the season, with a mix of brands and crews on the podium across both races. Gold Cup honours went to AlManar Racing’s No. 777 BMW, while Boutsen VDS’s No. 10 Mercedes-AMG won the Silver Cup.[69]
Niederhauser and Müller won the opening race at Zandvoort for Rutronik Racing, starting third and executing a flawless strategy. The race began with Bastian Buus in the No. 89 Lionspeed GP Porsche on pole, who led until Niederhauser caught up. A safety car was deployed after early collisions involving the No. 64 HRT Ford and No. 14 Emil Frey Ferrari. Niederhauser handed over to Müller early during the pit window, gaining track position as rivals like Engel, who received a 5-second penalty for an unsafe release, struggled. Jordan Pepper in the No. 63 Lamborghini finished second after key overtakes, while Engel salvaged third despite the penalty. The No. 25 Saintéloc Audi, finishing fourth, won the Gold Cup, and the No. 32 Team WRT BMW climbed from 19th to fifth. The Silver Cup was won by the No. 99 Tresor Attempto Audi, finishing tenth overall after a strong drive from Ezequiel Perez Companc. In the Bronze Cup, Buus and Bashar Mardini claimed honors on Lionspeed’s Sprint Cup debut, fending off a late challenge from Darren Leung.[70]
In Race 2, Team WRT’s Weerts and van der Linde secured the win thanks to a 48.2-second pit stop that propelled their No. 32 BMW from sixth to the lead. Emil Frey Racing led early with Ben Green (No. 14) and Chris Lulham (No. 69) in one-two, but both faced 10-second penalties for jump starts, dashing their victory hopes. Grasser Racing’s No. 63 Lamborghini, driven by Pepper and Luca Engstler, initially looked strong, but the race shifted during the pit window. Van der Linde started ninth and made early progress before passing to Weerts, whose crew executed a game-changing stop. Weerts emerged ahead of the No. 26 Saintéloc Audi, which ran fourth with Lorens Lecertua. Teammate Ivan Klymenko held off pressure from Engstler to secure second overall and a dominant Silver Cup win. The No. 63 Lamborghini finished third, marking its second podium of the weekend. The No. 59 Garage 59 McLaren ended the weekend with a fourth-place finish, followed by the No. 96 Rutronik Racing Porsche in fifth. Three more Silver Cup cars finished in the top 10: the No. 99 Tresor Attempto Audi, No. 992 Paradine BMW, and No. 21 Comtoyou Aston Martin. The No. 48 Winward Mercedes, driven by Engel and Auer, placed ninth after a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. In the Gold Cup, Thierry Vermeulen and Lulham won in the No. 69 Emil Frey Ferrari, overcoming their penalty with a commanding early lead. They finished ahead of the No. 88 Tresor Attempto Audi and the No. 777 AlManar WRT BMW. In the Bronze Cup, Kessel Racing triumphed with Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall, starting from class pole; Blattner led before Marschall secured the win. The No. 112 CSA Racing McLaren and No. 81 Winward Mercedes completed the class podium.[71]
Championship points are awarded for the first ten positions in each race. The pole-sitter in each class also receives one point and entries are required to complete 75% of the winning car's race distance in order to be classified and earn points. Individual drivers are required to participate for a minimum of 25 minutes in order to earn championship points in any race. In the teams' standings, only the best-placed car for each team is classified.
Sprint Cup points
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Pole
Points
16.5
12
9.5
7.5
6
4.5
3
2
1
0.5
1
Monza, Nürburgring and Barcelona points
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Pole
Points
25
18
15
12
10
8
6
4
2
1
1
Paul Ricard points
Position
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
Pole
Points
33
24
19
15
12
9
6
4
2
1
1
24 Hours of Spa points
Points are awarded after six hours, after twelve hours and at the finish.
^ abSalikhov is Russian, but he competes under an Armenian licence as Russian national emblems were banned by the FIA following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Circuit Paul Ricard
Brands Hatch
Circuit Zandvoort
Monza Circuit
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Nürburgring
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
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No. 74 Kessel Racing
Kelvin van der Linde
Pedro Ebrahim
Dustin Blattner
Conrad Laursen
Vincent Abril
Marcos Siebert
No. 777 AlManar Racing by WRT
Lucas Auer
Bashar Mardini