The Sprint Cup season launched last weekend with a double helping of action at Brands Hatch. Arthur Leclerc secured his maiden series win when AF Corse clinched the opening contest, while Lionspeed GP converted its stellar qualifying pace into Race 2 victory.
This only scratches the surface of what transpired during two packed days at the British circuit. Here are seven things you might have missed from the Sprint opener.
The fastest car didn't win at Brands Hatch
Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing very nearly clinched its maiden series victory on Sunday. The car crossed the line first in Race 1, only to be hit with a 30-second penalty, before chasing home the victorious Lionspeed Porsche in Race 2.
While they could not quite complete the job, the crew's underlying pace was very impressive. The B Pillar Report shows that Dani Juncadella and Chris Lulham both set the fastest average time for their respective stints in Race 1; Juncadella was quickest again in Race 2, while Lulham was second only to winner Bastian Buus.
They may have missed out on a win at Brands Hatch, but there can be little doubt that this team will reach the top step at some point in 2026.
Engel and Schuring set the pace (and bagged some sneakers)
Maro Engel and Morris Schuring (below) set the fastest laps in Race 1 and Race 2 respectively and will each recieve a pair of customised sneakers as part of a new initiative that has been launched this season. The quicker of the two was Schuring, who posted a 1m23.104s in his Boutsen VDS Porsche. The best qualifying lap of the weekend was set by Bastian Buus as the Lionspeed GP Porsche driver bagged pole for Race 2.
Over the weekend, Nicki Thiim was presented with his footwear for setting the fastest lap at Circuit Paul Ricard. Thiim's sneakers have now been fully customised, including the lap time and event the latitude and longitude of the track. Engel and Schuring will receive theirs next time out at Monza.
A yellow flag infringement cost Verstappen Racing dear
The #3 Mercedes-AMG received two penalties in Race 1. The first was for a pit infringement – there was a mechanic in the working area when the car left it after its stop – and resulted in a five-second penalty. Lulham made light work of this, pulling more than six seconds clear of Thomas Neubauer's Ferrari.
The second was for setting a fastest time in sector three under yellow flags. Race director Niels Wittich spoke about this topic during his briefing on Friday and made it clear that any such improvement would result in a penalty.
Several other cars were punished for the same infraction. Among them was the #30 Team WRT BMW, which lost its Silver Cup class win, and the #46 Team WRT BMW. Another significant penalty was handed to the #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche, which also lost the chance of a Silver win. Aleksei Nesov was found to have loosened his seat belts while on-track, resulting in 30 seconds being added to the car's time.
There were a few standout Silvers
Despite his error costing the team Race 1 victory, Nesov's pace was extremely good. His average time was second-best overall, behind only Dani Juncadella. This was certainly Nesov's most impressive display in GT World Challenge.
The same can be said for Matisse Lismont. The Belgian qualified third overall for Race 1 – beating some big names in the process – and proceeded to set the third-best average. He was also among the top 10 in Race 2.
His teammate Ignacio Montenegro also looked good – especially as this was the youngster's maiden visit to Brands Hatch. His pace closely matched that of fellow Team WRT drivers Jordan Pepper and Kelvin van der Linde – good company to keep!
The usual suspects scored well despite some setbacks
While they didn't stand on the top step at Brands Hatch, two of the expected title contenders fought back to score good points at the opener.
Defending champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW) climbed from 12th on the grid to snatch a podium in Race 1, while Maro Engel and Lucas Auer (#48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG) cut a similar path through the field to climb from 15th to sixth.
In Race 2 it was the Mercedes-AMG drivers who bagged a podium, aided by a brilliant opening stint from Engel, while the #32 BMW came home sixth. As such the old rivals are level on points and sit third in the standings. We can expect both to find better form as the Sprint season progresses.
CSA Racing has broken through in Sprint
On Sunday afternoon, CSA Racing scored its first Sprint win since switching to McLaren. The French squad took Gold Cup honours in Race 2, where Simon Gachet and Romain Andriolo finished 10th overall aboard the #555 machine. Andriolo posted the best lap of the race in the class, while Gachet was among the top 10 overall on average times, capping a very encouraging performance.
VSR gave Lamborghini something to celebrate
The new Lamborghini Temerario is yet to reach its full potential, but the Italian brand had something to celebrate at Brands Hatch when Loris Spinelli and Mattia Michelotto scored a Gold Cup podium in Race 2. Whatever it achieves in the future, this will forever have a place in history as the Temerario's maiden GT World Challenge podium.
