Ferrari in the top ten in qualifying at Paul Ricard

Le Castellet, 11 April 2026 - On Saturday, 11 April, under the warm sun of southern France, the qualifying sessions took place to determine the starting grid for the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard, the season-opener of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup.

The fastest of the seven Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo cars competing in this round on the circuit of Le Castellet was the number 51 of AF Corse which, with the three official drivers Alessio Rovera, Nicklas Nielsen and Tommaso Mosca, set the ninth fastest time. Qualifying saw the debut of the new Endurance format (already in use last season for the Sprint event), with drivers on the track across three sessions split into two groups: Group A with Silver and Bronze, and Group B with Pro and Gold. The average of the three lap times for each crew determined the starting order for the race. On Friday, meanwhile, the two free practice sessions took place.

Pro Cup. With an average time of 1’53”833, the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo number 51 secured ninth place, while number 50, also from AF Corse, will start fourteenth with official drivers Arthur Leclerc and Lilou Wadoux alongside Sean Gelael (1’54”191 for them).

Bronze Cup. Fourth time among the Bronze entries for the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo number 74 of Kessel Racing – reigning champion – which for this sporting season relies on the confirmed Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall, joined by Lorenzo Patrese. Twelfth place for the car fielded by JMW Motorsport, number 60, with Chandler Hull, Rolf Ineichen and Tim Heinemann.

Silver Cup. Sixth in class for the third Ferrari of AF Corse, number 52 with Jeff Machiels, Gilles Stadsbader and Matias Zagazeta. In the same category, the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo number 45 of Rinaldi Racing, with Rafael Duran, Dylan Medler and David Perel, will start fifteenth.

Gold Cup. Third in class, and twelfth overall, for the Maranello car of Selected Car Racing, number 71, with a crew made up of Frederik Schandorff, Simon Birch and Malte Ebdrup.

The programme. This evening, at 6 p.m. (local time), the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard will kick off, concluding at the stroke of midnight.

11 aprile 2026