Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer were classified as the victors in the opening GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup race of the day at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Sunday). Their place on the top step of the podium was confirmed following a last-minute penalty for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing machine which crossed the line first.
Ricardo Feller led initially from pole position, at the wheel of the Lionspeed Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, from Leclerc who took the start the AF Corse Ferrari. Dani Juncadella attempted to make it three-wide in the Mercedes-AMG carrying the Verstappen name, but was forced to settle into third in the early stages.
A safety car and red flag promptly followed before any further drama could unfold, however, following Robin Knutsson’s exit from the track at Stirlings in one of the Boutsen VDS Porsches. Once the action got back underway, Feller continued where he left off, pushing away at the front.
Leclerc began to rein the Porsche in as the first stint drew to a close, however, and by the time the pit window opened, Juncadella was right on the tail of the leading duo. When the pits opened for business, it was Feller who dived in for a service first, handing over to Bastian Buus in the process. Leclerc followed him in a lap later, with Neubauer jumping into the cockpit, and the Frenchman crucially came out ahead of Buus.
Juncadella continued to circulate though, pitting last of the leading contenders. And, ultimately, his co-driver Chris Lulham filtered out into the lead once all of the driver changes were completed. While Lulham and Leclerc pressed on, Buus lost ground, initially to Dorian Boccolacci in the remaining Boutsen VDS Porsche he’d taken over from Morris Schuring. But the car which had led early on and dominated qualifying would soon be pushed back into the garage and retirement.
A further Full Course Yellow period, called for after the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi of Alex Aka and Dylan Pereira ended up in the gravel, gave a brief pause, ahead of a final 20-minute dash to the flag. Lulham was immediately ahead of Neubauer as racing resumed, but the Ferrari couldn’t stick with the Mercedes-AMG.
The first twist in the tale came with just a few minutes on the clock, when Lulham’s car received a five-second time penalty for a pit stop infringement. The Brit had over four seconds in his pocket by this stage, but surged through the final couple of laps to take what seemed an apparent win. There was a further penalty, though, as the Mercedes-AMG was one of several cars to receive a retrospective drive-through as the flag dropped, for yellow flag infringements.
This dropped Juncadella and Lulham outside the top-10 following a fine drive and handed the top spot to Leclerc and Neubauer. They were joined on the podium by Schuring and Boccolacci following their charging drive, while reigning Sprint Cup champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin Van Der Linde completed the top-three after running solidly, without drama, throughout the race.
Behind that, other beneficiaries of the penalties includes Amaury Cordeel and Jordan Pepper in another of the Team WRT BMWs, plus Konsta Lappalainen and Matteo Cairoli in Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari.
GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, Race 1, Brands Hatch
- Leclerc/Neubauer, AF Corse, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO
- Schuring/Boccolacci, Boutsen VDS, Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, +0.685s
- Weerts/Van Der Linde, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, +1.893s
- Cordeel/Pepper, Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, +11.953s
- Lappalainen/Cairoli, Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, +12.769s
- Auer/Engel, Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, +13.181s
- Nesov/Malykhin, Pure Rxcing, Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO, +25.841s
- Mosca/Zagazota, AF Corse, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, +26.544s
- Fleming/Prette, Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, +27.005s
- Thiim/Pauwels, Comtoyou Racing, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, +27.593s
Click here for full results, live timing and streaming from this weekend.