GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS | Sprint Cup Round 5 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 3-4 October 2026
Tresor Attempto Racing emerged victorious from a chaotic and rain-soaked first race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, while Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller secured the 2026 Sprint Cup title with one race still to run.
Barcelona had already shown two very different faces before Race 1. Friday's opening Free Practice was led by the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche of Bastian Buus, with Alex Aka's #99 Tresor Attempto Audi second and Lucas Auer third. By FP2, however, torrential rain had transformed the circuit, with drivers forced to contend with standing water and extremely limited grip.
The weather remained the dominant story into Saturday.
Buus carried that momentum into Qualifying 1, putting the championship-leading Porsche on pole with a 1:39.542. Sven Müller placed the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche second in Pro and sixth overall, keeping Dorian Boccolacci's already slim title hopes alive ahead of the race.
Away from the timing screens, the paddock offered another familiar sight. Even under the rain, fans gathered around Valentino Rossi's garage hoping for a photograph or an autograph, underlining the continued popularity of the nine-time MotoGP World Champion in his second GT World Challenge season.
Then the rain returned with a vengeance.
A race turned upside down
The start was delayed before the field finally went green with 51 minutes remaining. Pole-sitter Buus immediately lost the lead to Kiern Jewiss in the #222 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG, while Dennis Marschall charged from seventh to second in the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari.
The opening laps quickly became unpredictable. Cars spun and ran wide across the soaked circuit, while Marschall eventually moved into the lead after making contact with Jewiss.
A Safety Car followed after Thomas Neubauer's #50 AF Corse Ferrari spun, but conditions continued to deteriorate. Lucas Auer was meanwhile making progress from 20th on the grid, while Buus slipped down the order but remained firmly in contention.
The pit window brought the first strategic changes, with Maro Engel's early stop putting the #48 Winward Mercedes into a strong position. Then the weather worsened again.
When the #55 Dinamic GT Porsche became stranded in the gravel, the race was red-flagged with 28 minutes remaining.
Boccolacci's last chance
With the second drivers now aboard, Dorian Boccolacci immediately made his move. Starting from behind the leading cars, the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche climbed to the front after the restart, briefly putting the championship fight back into focus.
Alex Aka was moving just as quickly. The #99 Audi had started 14th but soon found itself fighting for the overall lead, while Ricardo Feller began recovering strongly in the #80 Porsche.
For Boccolacci, however, the opportunity disappeared with nine minutes remaining. Boutsen VDS received a stop-and-go penalty for its pit-lane incident with the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, forcing Boccolacci to serve the penalty and dropping him out of contention and Aka inherited the lead.
The final lap became a straight fight between the Audi and Feller's Porsche. Feller closed rapidly, but Aka held his nerve to cross the line just 0.789 seconds ahead, securing Tresor Attempto's second outright GT World Challenge Europe victory of the season.
Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler completed the podium in the #96 Rutronik Racing Lamborghini Temerario GT3, while the #59 Garage 59 McLaren produced one of the day's biggest recoveries, climbing from 33rd to fourth.
Race Result: 1. Pereira/Aka (Tresor Attempto Racing Audi), 2. Buus/Feller (Lionspeed GP Porsche) +0.789s, 3. Niederhauser/Engstler (Rutronik Racing Lamborghini) +5.305s
Lionspeed crowned
For Buus and Feller, second place is enough.
The result gives the #80 crew an unassailable lead in the current Sprint Cup standings, as they could only lose the championship if Leclerc and Neubauer won from pole, and if the No. 48 Winward AMG disqualification from Misano goes through. And then Leclerc and Neubauer would be ahead by just 0.5 points. With SRO cancelling Qualy for Sunday's races, Lionspeed are the new Sprint Champions.
After a weekend that has already gone from a dry opening practice to torrential rain and one of the most unpredictable races of the Sprint Cup season, Barcelona still has one final chapter to write.
