2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup – Monza

This weekend, the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup landed at Monza. The Temple of Speed. It has a way of sorting out the bluster from the substance. For German manufacturers, this race was a good test; there was no chaos, just pace, precision, and the odd bit of pit lane bother.

Mercedes-AMG: The Breakthrough

After years of “almosts” at Monza, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER finally delivered. The #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, shared by Lucas Auer, Matteo Cairoli, and Maro Engel, led the field home after 84 fast laps. This wasn’t a win handed over by luck or weather; it was earned through clean stints and proper racecraft. Engel, Auer, and Cairoli looked settled from the off. The team’s composure in traffic, plus tidy pit work, made the difference. It’s no overstatement to say the team needed this. The series itself noted, “Fans soak up the magic of Monza as Mercedes-AMG scores first Endurance Cup win at iconic Italian venue.” About time, too. You could see the relief.

Elsewhere, it wasn’t all sunshine. Winward Racing’s #81 placed 14th overall, enough for second in the Bronze Cup, but not the step up they wanted. GetSpeed’s #3 managed 18th and fifth in Silver, but lost ground after a penalty for short fuelling. The #17 PRO entry set the fastest lap (Fabian Schiller, 1:45.694) but dropped out with over 20 laps to go. Fast, but fragile. That’s a familiar Mercedes-AMG story.

BMW: Class Acts and Narrow Margins

If you follow BMW, you’ll know they rarely do things the easy way. The Gold Cup win came from the #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, a car that started only seventh in class, then climbed as the race fell into rhythm. Jens Klingmann summed it up: “First place in the Gold Cup is another fantastic result here at Monza after our overall win last year. Teamwork makes the dream work. The strategy, the pit stops, the driver changes, all of that made the difference once again.” You could see the confidence building.

Silver Cup? Century Motorsport’s #42 BMW did the business, Jarrod Waberski, William Moore, and Mex Jansen driving a clever, mostly invisible race until it mattered. Breathless at the flag, Jansen said, “That was the most intense race of my career. It was incredibly hot in the car, but I’m glad I could bring the winner’s trophy home for the team.” Second in Silver went to the #30 BMW run by Team WRT; proof, maybe, that you don’t need fireworks when you’ve got reliability and discipline.

Up front, Team WRT’s #32 BMW (Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts, Ugo de Wilde) grabbed fifth overall and fourth in the PRO class; another points haul for drivers and team, both of whom defend their standings leads. There was a pit lane speeding penalty, but they shrugged it off. De Wilde was blunt: “We achieved the maximum possible for us today with a trouble-free race. The goal was to score as many points as possible, and we succeeded. But both we as a team and I personally still have room for improvement.” No sense of celebration yet, they know Spa is looming.

Not everyone in Munich’s camp found joy. ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW, Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, and Raffaele Marciello, retired after a pit exit collision. Farfus sounded philosophical: “The accident involving Jesse that led to our retirement was very unfortunate, but these things can happen. During our first pit stop, we got stuck again in the very crowded pit lane and lost a few positions. Sometimes you just have races like this.”

Paradine and Ceccato’s BMWs plugged away in the mid-pack, picking up class finishes, but the headlines stayed with WRT and Century.

Porsche: The Grit, Not the Glory

You have to hand it to Porsche, no headlines, just quiet persistence. The best finish for the Stuttgart brand was #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) in sixth, the only PRO entry inside the top ten. Rutronik Racing’s #97 Porsche saved face for the brand by taking Bronze Cup honours and tenth overall. If you blinked, you missed it, a patient drive, decisive at the right moments.

There was no shortage of Porsche customer cars in the mix, but none broke through at the front. Pure Rxcing’s #911 Porsche was 11th (PRO), Rutronik’s other car 21st, and further back, Herberth Motorsport, Lionspeed GP, and Dinamic GT all finished down the order. The #92 Herberth entry went out after only 13 laps. Porsche had a hard day; no point dressing it up. But in endurance racing, some weekends are just about banking points and moving on.

Audi: Holding the Line

Audi feels like a brand in holding pattern—factory support is winding down as F1 plans ramp up, but the R8 is still quick enough in the hands of privateers. #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi finished 13th and fourth in the Silver Cup. Tresor’s #88 was 16th and fourth in Gold. There’s depth, but the outright pace isn’t there. DNF for Sainteloc’s #26 and Tresor’s #66 means a few missed chances, but Audi’s customer squads seem unbothered; they’re playing the long game.

The Race: No Drama, Real Racing

The best races sometimes don’t have much in the way of headline drama. That was Monza; minimal full-course yellows, few big shunts, no weather surprises. What made the difference was simple: strategy, clean stints, and staying out of trouble in the pit lane. Mercedes-AMG took the top step with precision. BMW cleaned up in the classes. Porsche and Audi ground out results, heads down, eyes forward.

You get the sense that all four German marques have unfinished business. BMW’s Ugo de Wilde and Jens Klingmann pointed to Spa as the real test; Monza was about survival, not statement wins. Mercedes-AMG, finally off their Monza “curse,” will carry real momentum. Porsche needs to regroup, maybe find a bit of extra speed. Audi, for now, will be happy just to see their cars finish strong.

You can read a lot into the numbers, but the feel in the paddock was simple: calm, methodical, purposeful. Not a classic, but a proper Monza enduro. Sometimes, that’s all you want. There’s still everything to play for at Spa.

RACE RESULTS