ENTRY LIST: MAGNY-COURS
Two weeks on from Misano, the GT World Challenge powered by AWS season resumes at Magny-Cours. And, like the Italian outing, the upcoming event in France forms part of the Sprint Cup calendar. This is round three of five for the short-format series, and the title battles are beginning to take shape. Here's a closer look at the competitive picture ahead of the weekend.
__________________________________________
WE'RE SET FOR A RECORD SPRINT CUP FIELD
It looked as though we would see a new Sprint Cup record grid last time out at Misano. However, a pair of withdrawals meant the field matched the existing record of 43 cars – which is still enormous.
As it stands, we will top that at Magny-Cours. At the time of writing there are 45 cars on the entry list, two more than the current record. The additions are the returning Razoon Porsche and Saintéloc's Audi, which will be shared by French drivers Jim Pla and Michael Blanchmain.
It's worth noting that, just a few years ago, the grid at Magny-Cours was between 20 and 25 cars. The current popularity of the Sprint Cup is nothing short of remarkable.
__________________________________________
TEAM WRT LOOKS STRONGER THAN EVER
Competitive though this series may be, one crew currently stands above the rest in the standings. A clean sweep of victories at Misano has put Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde in a commanding position. The #32 Team WRT BMW enjoyed a perfect weekend at the Italian track, which sent the defending champions 14 points clear at the top of the table.
That should make ominous reading for their rivals, because the current gap is bigger than at any stage in 2025. Another strong weekend at Magny-Cours would put them one step closer to retaining their title.
__________________________________________
AMG IS READY TO REBOUND
With a runner-up finish for Verstappen Racing and a pair of third-places for Winward Racing, it would be wrong to say that Mercedes-AMG had a bad weekend at Misano. It's just that it didn't have as good a weekend as Team WRT and BMW.
As such, the Affalterbach marque will be very keen to score its first Sprint win of 2026 at Magny-Cours. History tells us it's likely to happen here: the circuit has traditionally been very good for AMG, with four overall wins from past four events.
Winward driver Maro Engel scored three of those victories, and he will know that another triumph is essential if he and Lucas Auer wish to challenge WRT for the title. The #3 Verstappen Racing entry should also be a contender, with Jules Gounon once again deputising for Chris Lulham alongside Dani Juncadella.
__________________________________________
MCLAREN IS LOOKING TO KICK-START ITS SEASON
Garage 59 was a pre-season title favourite with its pairing of Marvin Kirchhöfer and Dean MacDonald, but the #59 McLaren has not been a serious conttender in Sprint. The team was forced to change chassis following the opening-corner accident at Monza and is still searching for pace in the replacement. Having won at Magny-Cours last year, the British squad would welcome a return to form this weekend.
Among the other contenders, Lionspeed GP experienced a mixed weekend at Misano with its Porsche, finishing as runner-up in Race 1 but failing to score in Race 2. AF Corse will also aim to rebound with its #50 Ferrari crew of Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer, who should be among the most popular crews in France. And keep an eye on the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin. Kobe Pauwels was mighty in Qualifying 2 at Misano, but a technical problem scuppered the team's chances. The young Belgian counts Magny-Cours among his favourite tracks and has a very strong co-driver in Nicki Thiim.
__________________________________________
THE GOLD CUP IS WIDE OPEN
Tresor Attempto Racing announced itself as a serious contender for the Gold Cup title by sweeping the weekend at Misano. This points haul was essential after Dylan Pereira and Alex Aka failed to finish either of the races at Brands Hatch; now, they're right back in the fight.
AF Corse retains the advantage with its #51 Ferrari pairing of Tommaso Mosca and Matias Zagazeta, who are eight points clear at the top. The next three crews are separated by a single point, with almost nothing to choose between Tom Fleming and Louis Prette (#58 Garage 59 McLaren); Simon Gachet and Romain Andriolo (#555 CSA Racing McLaren); and Pereira and Aka in the #99 Audi.
Of note, Gachet is a former overall winner at Magny-Cours, leading Saintéloc to a home victory in 2020 alongside Steven Palette. Don't be surprised if he's very fast again this weekend.
__________________________________________
TEAM WRT IS ON COURSE IN SILVER
Team WRT didn't just take control of the overall Sprint standings at Misano: the BMW squad also pulled clear in the Silver Cup class. Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro hold a 15.5-point advantage after taking a win and a P3 finish at the Italian track, cementing their status as title favourites.
Their closest rivals are defending class champion Jamie Day and former FFSA GT title-winner Mateo Villagomez (#34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin). Day swept this event last year, so expect this car to be a contender. After taking class honours in Race 2 at Misano, Aurélien Panis and Anthony Bartone (#6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG) are 21.5 points back.
It's also worth keeping an eye on Gaspard Simon (#35 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin). The SRO GT Academy winner makes his first GT3 start at Magny-Cours and will draw on a strong record from his time in FFSA GT. Simon finished first and second at Magny-Cours in 2025, and was second and third in 2024. A maiden class podium alongside Maxime Robin will be his objective this weekend.
__________________________________________
WINWARD HOLDS THE EARLY ADVANTAGE IN BRONZE
The Bronze Cup kicked off its Sprint season last time out at Misano, where Mercedes-AMG squads Winard Racing and GetSpeed Team Dubai shared the wins. The former leads the early standings with its pairing of Rinat Salikhov and Marvin Dienst, who are seven points clear of Gabriel Rindone and Fabian Schiller.
Salikhov and Dienst won at Magny-Cours last year, so pencil them in as favourites for more success this weekend. But never rule out defending champions Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall (#74 Kessel Racing Ferrari). They weren't at their best at Misano, yet they still emerged with a good haul of points. Don't be surprised if they're back on top this weekend.
Click here to get your Magny-Cours tickets
If you can’t make it to the track, GT World Challenge races are streamed live around the world on the GT World YouTube channel. This is entirely free, allowing fans to experience every second of the action no matter where they are. Live coverage from Magny-Cours begins on Saturday afternoon with Qualifying 1 at 14:55 and continues for Race 1 (21:05). Sunday is live too, with Qualifying 2 at 10:50 and Race 2 at 15:30. The FFSA GT and FFSA TC support races will also air live on GT World. Click here to learn more.