Verstappen Racing Claims First 2026 GT World Challenge Win at Magny-Cours

Overview

• Jules Gounon took pole and built a large lead before handing the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to Dani Juncadella, who brought the car home for Verstappen Racing's first overall GT World Challenge Europe victory of 2026.
• Team WRT's No. 32 BMW was stripped of all qualifying lap times for using 10 mbar more turbo boost than permitted, a sanction the team attributed to an atmospheric-pressure setup error that pushed the car to the back of the Race 2 grid.
• Race 2 was red-flagged after Dustin Blattner's heavy crash at the Adelaide Hairpin that scattered debris and required barrier repairs, with series officials confirming Blattner is OK and the incident under investigation.
• Kelvin van der Linde retired from Race 2 after contact with Peter Dempsey damaged the WRT BMW's front suspension, and steward action including a 10-second penalty for Nicki Thiim has further altered net running order ahead of the restart.
• Verstappen Racing moved into the series' overall class this year after winning Gold in 2025, so the Magny-Cours win is a key morale and Sprint Cup points boost even though endurance-round results leave the season-long title a longer shot.