At all five events of the upcoming Winter Series, as well as the GEDLICH Racing 6H of Portimão, teams running Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and 992 Cup cars will be able to utilise Manthey’s support truck. Over 1900 spare parts are available, from the smallest nuts and bolts to brake, suspension and body panels: Even complete engines and gearboxes will be on-site!
On request, Manthey will also be able to offer spare parts or accessories for other Porsche racing cars, delivered to the venues (subject to availability and sufficient delivery time).
The continued support from Manthey for the Winter Series paddock’s Porsche teams will be an invaluable tool throughout the 2026 GEDLICH Racing Winter Series campaign.
Additionally, At selected GEDLICH events, the Manthey developed Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport Leichtbau will be available for a test drive. Manthey will welcome interested parties like Porsche veterans, serious racing drivers and trackday enthusiasts alike to this not-to-be-missed opportunity to drive a bespoke track car, with support from one of the world’s most revered GT racing teams. More details of this test drive opportunity will be published in the coming days.
The individual series will run on the dates specified.
Clausen, 17, is a familiar name in the Winter Series paddock, having shown great pace and consistency with Mücke in the 2025 GT4 Winter Series. Along with Axel Bengtsson, he scored five top-five finishes in six race appearances. The Dane then competed in ADAC GT4 Germany with Mücke, finishing sixth in the rookie standings, while also gaining mileage in the German team’s Duqueine LMP3 cars during the summer.
Mads Kjelde Larsen, also hailing from Denmark, is a newcomer to racing closed-wheel cars, having come from the world of karting and Nordic F4. He has worked hard alongside the Mücke team in a training programme, to ensure he is competitive from the start of the PTWS season. Undoubtedly one of the youngest pairings on the grid, this Danish duo will aim to be one of the most competitive too.
Team boss Stefan Mücke commented: “For many years, our job has been to find young talent, train them, and support them on their journey. There’s more to come [in 2026]; for now, we’re happy to be able to confirm our winter programme and line-up this early.”
The two juniors have further test days scheduled in December, ahead of the season opener of the Prototype Winter Series at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, which will take place from 15-18 January. The third season will once again comprise of four race weekends, with two 50-minute races per event. Following the season opener, the action moves to Estoril, then on to a Spanish double-header in Aragon and Barcelona. The season finale will take place from 12-15 March at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
The German team is set to bring yet another collective of competitive drivers to the grid, at the wheel of its Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport fleet. A driver confirmed to return is the American racer Tim Horrell, one-half of the 2025 GT4 Winter Series PRO-AM drivers’ champions. Horrell continued a successful 2025 with W&S, and is now eager to defend his crown in the GT4 Winter Series.
Horrell commented: “Last year helped me get to know the GT4 Winter Series, so I want to be even more successful this year and prepare myself optimally for the 2026 season. I’m also delighted to be back with my team W&S. With them, I want to build on last year’s performance.”
Another familiar entry to the GT4 Winter Series is Joachim Bölting, who drove to a PRO-AM vice-championship in the 2025 GT4 European Series along with W&S and Hendrik Still. Bölting will drive solo in the GT4 Winter Series, in order to defend his AM championship from the 2025 season.
The Ofterdingen-based squad will once again arrive to Iberia as top contenders. During the summer, highlights included teams’ championship glory in ADAC GT4 Germany, and a sweep of the driver and team standings in the GT4 European Series AM division. W&S drivers also secured vice-championships in both the GT4 European Series’ PRO-AM category, and the overall standings of ADAC GT4, among numerous other 2025 accolades.
W&S Motorsport is still offering ambitious drivers the opportunity to join its GT4 Winter Series line-up aboard the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Interested drivers can contact the team directly for further information: info@ws-motorsport.de
The 2026 GT4 Winter Series will kick-off at Portimão’s Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, from 15-18 January.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Rodin will return to GEDLICH Racing’s F4 category in a three-car effort, with drivers to be announced closer to the season opener in Estoril.
While 2025 programmes for the junior single-seater giant are still ongoing, the year can already be considered a success. Numerous race victories have been secured across all disciplines, alongside a drivers’ vice-championship and teams championship in British F4, and a sweep of the teams and drivers’ GB3 Championship titles.
Rodin Motorsport will add yet more depth and intrigue to the 2026 Formula Winter Series, which will once again feature a capacity grid of young stars and leading teams, as well as an expanded five-round calendar and enhanced broadcast production. Every moment of the 2026 racing action will be streamed live on YouTube, while fans can experience the racing at an accessible price point, with tickets available from just €10.
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
2025 marked the first fully-fledged Van Amersfoort entry into GEDLICH Racing’s single-seater category, and the black-and-orange cars often fought at the front. Their highest classified driver – Maksimilian Popov – finished fifth in the FWS standings, and carried that momentum into successful Italian F4 and E4 campaigns with VAR.
The Dutch team’s other full-time 2025 FWS drivers also had successful summer campaigns; Dante Vinci finished 11th in the E4 standings, while also securing six rookie podiums in Italian F4. Payton Westcott had a promising first car racing season, including stand-out performances in F1 Academy testing.
Beyond F4 competitions, VAR celebrated 50 years in motorsport with a typically busy campaign, securing podiums and victories at every level of junior single-seater racing.
The Van Amersfoort Racing FWS line-up will be revealed in the coming weeks, and will look to draw inspiration and motivation from the team’s modern all-star graduates such as Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Oliver Bearman.
The 2026 Formula Winter Series will begin at a new venue to the series, the Circuito Estoril, from 22-25 January. Every moment of the racing action will be streamed globally on YouTube, while tickets to attend the race weekend are available from just €10.
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
2025 marked Jenzer’s strongest winter campaign to date, finishing third in the Formula Winter Series teams’ championship, while concluding the year with three drivers in the top ten of the final points classification. For the fourth season of FWS, the team will compete with four cars, set to be driven by a strong mix of young talents who will be announced in the coming weeks.
Beyond the GEDLICH Racing paddock, it has been another excellent year for Jenzer Motorsport, having focused its resources on Formula 4 competition in 2025. This paid particular dividends in the F4 CEZ Championship, where the Lyss-based squad secured the teams’ championship. Remarkably, its pilots swept the top three in the drivers’ standings, with FWS alumnus Gino Trappa winning the points battle.
Jenzer Motorsport will join yet another capacity grid for the Formula Winter Series, which once again features the leading F4 teams from across Europe, and visits the most prestigious circuits in Portugal and Spain. Estoril hosts the season opener from 22-25 January, marking the first time the former Grand Prix venue has featured on the FWS calendar.
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Following a thrilling 2025 featuring the strongest grid to date in the Formula Winter Series, 2026 promises to deliver even more hard-fought competition among Europe’s leading junior single-seater teams. A significant number of teams from the 2025 entry list will be returning in 2026, proving that the Formula Winter Series concept is a viable and enticing proposition in the marketplace.
Stefan Lehner, GEDLICH Racing’s Racing Series Coordinator, said: “It is excellent to see that a vast majority of our existing Formula Winter Series teams are returning for 2026. While we have had limited space for new teams as a result, the new and returning faces arriving for the upcoming season suggest another great championship fight!”
Team announcements for the Formula Winter Series will commence in the coming days.
Formula Winter Series’ partnerships with Tatuus, Pirelli and TM Brakes will all continue, offering a consistent and familiar platform for teams heading into the 2026 season. Consistency is also the name of the game in race control, where the experienced and respected Race Director Neus Santamaria will once again be at the helm.
For 2026, the Formula Winter Series calendar expands to five rounds for the first time, with the inclusion of the revered Circuito Estoril in Portugal as the season opener. The series will then visit Portimão, before crossing the Spanish border to compete at Valencia, Aragon and Barcelona. The tried and tested race format will remain in place, featuring three 30-minute +1 lap races per weekend, preceded by a pair of 15-minute qualifying sessions and two test days.
Alongside offering a robust winter racing platform for competitors, GEDLICH Racing also strives to offer a great value experience for fans. Tickets will be available at all Winter Series events from just €10 for trackside spectators, while an enhanced-for-2026 broadcast from GEDLICH Racing and Alpha Live will be live and free on the Winter Series YouTube channel.
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
Michelin has developed the new Pilot Sport Cup range, featuring specific front and rear builds, which will be adopted across the ACO’s LMP3 platforms for 2026. The new tyre architecture offers greater stability while cornering, and improved car balance. It is also more predictable at the limit, offers greater consistency, and is more durable than its predecessors.
GEDLICH Racing’s third season of the Prototype Winter Series, starting at Portimão from 15-18 January, will mark the first opportunity for teams to drive on the 2026-spec Michelin in racing conditions. Alongside the introduction of the third-generation LMP3 car to PTWS, the use of Michelin’s new-and-improved tyre ensures data and learning of the utmost relevance to teams preparing for the 2026 summer season.
Robin Selbach, Managing Director at GEDLICH Racing, commented: “We are thankful to our partners at the ACO and Michelin for allowing us to offer the most relevant conditions possible for our 2026 Prototype Winter Series competitors. Our third season will be an exciting step forward for the series, with the introduction of the V6-powered third-generation LMP3 cars from Ligier, Duqueine, Adess and Ginetta, as well as the Pilot Sport Cup tyre.”
The 2026 Prototype Winter Series will once again take place over four events, with two 50-minute races per weekend, preceded by over four hours of track time across testing, free practice and qualifying. Portugal’s Portimão and Estoril will host the PTWS competitors in January, before the season concludes with a Spanish double-header at Aragon and Barcelona.
Beyond the Winter Series racing weekends, teams will also be able to utilise the new Pilot Sport Cup tyre at GEDLICH’s opening events of the winter Race Test programme, held at Barcelona (8-9 December) and Portimão (15-16, 17-18 December).
Teams and drivers for the upcoming Prototype Winter Series will be announced in the upcoming weeks and months, as excitement builds for the 2026 championship battle.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
The talented 17-year-old Irish racer took five race victories and a total of 15 podiums during the British F4 season, securing both the Rookie Cup and the overall title. For his UK-based campaign, the Red Bull Junior continued his partnership with Hitech TGR, which was established in the midst of his car racing debut in the Formula Winter Series.
During the 2025 FWS season, McLaughlin was an immediate standout. The third race of the opening weekend at Portimão marked his first race victory in cars, and he remained in overall championship contention until the Barcelona finale.
Following his victorious British F4 season, McLaughlin has been confirmed as part of Hitech TGR’s 2026 FIA Formula 3 line-up, making the Irishman the latest Formula Winter Series frontrunner to quickly move up the ranks of junior single-seater racing.
2025 Formula Winter Series overall champion Gabriel Gomez is another driver poised for success this season.The US Racing driver currently runs second in both the Italian F4 and E4 Championship standings, with a round to go in each category. Furthermore, fellow 2025 FWS competitor Gino Trappa secured the F4 CEZ championship in September.
With the continued success of Formula Winter Series graduates, comes further ‘proof-of-concept’ for GEDLICH Racing’s Tatuus F4-T421 grid. The mileage, wheel-to-wheel competition and confidence gained at Portugal and Spain’s premier circuits is an invaluable tool for developing drivers, especially those taking the first steps into car racing.
Leading teams and drivers from the Formula 4 racing world will do battle once again during the 2026 Formula Winter Series, and all of the racing action will be live-streamed on the Winter Series YouTube channel. Tickets will be available for each round of the series, allowing fans the chance to enjoy racing action early in the calendar year.
GEDLICH Racing sends its congratulations to Fionn McLaughlin and Hitech TGR on a fabulous season!
22 – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
5 – 8 FEB PORTIMAO /P
12 – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
The 2025 edition of the GEDLICH Racing Winter Series is now in the rear-view mirror, and the German organisation is at full-speed preparing the best package for teams wishing to get a head start in 2026. The outgoing season has been well-received by its competitors, and as a result, GEDLICH has opted for consistency and continuity in the year ahead.
The Portuguese leg of the Winter Series will once again begin the 2026 season. The first round of the GT Winter Series, GT4 Winter Series and Prototype Winter Series will take place at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, on 15-18 January.
All three categories will then travel north to Estoril for the second event of the season, where the GT- and Prototype machinery will be joined by the Formula Winter Series. Now entering its fourth season, this category is established as a leading platform for young aspiring single-seater talent. The revered traditional home of Portuguese motorsport will host the Winter Series from 22-25 January.
Teams from the GT and GT4 Winter Series will have the option of returning to the Algarve from 5-8 February, for the second edition of the GEDLICH Racing 6h of Portimão. As with the inaugural 2025 edition, this special standalone Winter Series event will open its doors to the fastest GT and Touring Car machinery, and teams from across Europe. The six-hour race is not a part of any points classification. On the same weekend, the ever-popular Portimão ‘rollercoaster’ will also play host to the second round of the 2026 Formula Winter Series.
Less than a week later, the action migrates to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo from 12-15 February. The Prototypes will take a hiatus, while the Formula, GT and GT4 grids will put on a show for the fans at one of the most popular GEDLICH Racing events of the year.
Next is Motorland Aragón, from 5-8 March. A region with over 60 years of motorsport history and in just two seasons of hosting Winter Series events, it has already proven to be a pivotal marker in the championship battles. The Prototypes will rejoin the GTs, GT4s and Formulas in Northern Spain, for the second event of the year featuring all GEDLICH Racing classes. The aforementioned date of 5/8 March is still to be confirmed (tbc).
The last round of all four 2026 Winter Series championships is scheduled to take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, from 12-15 March. The tension and excitement of the season finale is always palpable, and 2026 will be no exception!
The Winter Series continues to lead the market for ‘off-season’ motorsport in Europe. All four championships offer a unique opportunity for teams to race in highly-competitive international events, alongside pre-summer testing at GEDLICH’s Race Test track events.
The GEDLICH Racing team looks forward to welcoming new and returning competitors into the paddock in 2026, for another scintillating season of Winter Series racing!
GEDLICH Racing has announced its calendar for the 2026 Winter Series, which will once again visit Portugal and Spain’s finest circuits. Save the dates now for yet another exciting Winter Series season!
The individual series will run on the dates specified.
