The first 30-minute race of the weekend saw a disruptor take pole position, in the form of returnee Tim Horrell. After missing the previous event at Valencia, it was the clear the Bronze-rated American still hadn’t missed a beat in the PRO-AM #30 W&S Motorsport Porsche, as he secured pole by six tenths of a second over SR Motorsport’s Joel Mesch.
Sodden conditions greeted the drivers for race one. As the race began, Horrell eased around the first corner in the lead, and was promptly afforded a gap by drama further back. Mesch was forced out wide by Nicolas Guillaume (#31 W&S Motorsport Porsche) and Frederico Peters (#007 Araujo Aston Martin), both of whom overshot the apex at the first corner. This momentarily dropped Mesch out of the top five, while Team VRT’s Aleksandrs Bobrovs left the first corner in second place. The AM class driver would unfortunately lose control at turn three, but avoided the barriers and continued. This left the mantle of second overall to another AM driver, in the form of W&S Motorsport’s Joachim Bölting, who carries a reputation of wet weather mastery.
At the conclusion of the first lap, Horrell was some five seconds clear of the chasing pack, having avoided any trouble or delay. Bolting held second, but Joel Mesch quickly dispatched both the German and his W&S teammate Nicolas Guillaume on the second lap. However, even with clear track ahead, Mesch was not able to gain time on Horrell. The battle for third proved to be the point of interest for much of the race. Bölting – never one to relent – was working to defend his position for Guillaume and Frederico Peters. The close quarters racing, matched with extremely limited traction, created a dramatic spectacle. Bölting lost traction at turn three as the race approached half distance, and finally had to concede third to peters while fighting to keep the car straight.
However, approaching the turn 16 hairpin, Bölting elected to make a spectacular divebomb from several car lengths behind. Somehow, he scrubbed off enough speed to make the apex, and briefly retake the position. A few corners later, Peters eased by again, just before a Safety Car period began. The pause was caused by Thilo Goos, who lost control of his BWT Mücke Motorsport Aston Martin approaching the Corkscrew at turn eight. Once the Club class entry was rescued from the gravel, just one lap of racing remained, and Tim Horrell’s gap – exceeding seven seconds – was gone.
But, on the final lap, Horrell did not succumb to the pressure, and extended the gap to Mesch to just over one second by the time they took the chequered flag. For the first time, Tim Horrell claimed an overall victory while driving solo, securing PRO-AM honours along the way.
Mesch took second and the PRO class win, while Frederico Peters beat AM winner Joachim Bölting to the line for third overall. Ravi Ramyead crossed the line in sixth; this was the first blow to the L’Espace Bienvenue team’s hopes of keeping the title fight alive.
RACE TWO
For Enrico Förderer and Joel Mesch, losing their six-race winning streak was a point of contention. Förderer’s SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes would start the Sunday morning 30-minute race from pole, presenting an opportunity to make amends. However, with title rival Charlie Robertson on the front row, Förderer expected a fight. After rain overnight, the circuit was 90 per cent dry, so all parties started the race on slicks.
Förderer was able to hold the lead off the line, while Robertson retained second place. In the early stages, it appeared that Robertson was close to the pace of Förderer, but couldn’t quite find the ultimate pace. It was a fractional affair; there was only two seconds between the top two at half-distance.
In third overall, Tim Horrell (#30 W&S Motorsport Porsche) was driving through his mirrors, holding on to the PRO-AM lead over Cedric Fuchs in the #111 SR Motorsport Mercedes. Over the course of the race, Horrell never had more than a few tenths worth of reprieve during the 30-minute race.
Meanwhile, at the front, Robertson’s pace was never quite enough to keep pace with Förderer, who ultimately won the race by five seconds. Horrell retained third ahead of Fuchs, while Joachim Bölting won the AM class from seventh overall.
RACE THREE
Heading into the 60-minute pitstop race, the signs pointed in favour of Joel Mesch and Enrico Förderer. In order to extend the championship battle to Barcelona, Ravi Ramyead and Charlie Robertson needed to score nine more points than the #11 SR Motorsport crew; a tall order, per the form book.
Mesch and Förderer would start the third and final race of the weekend on pole, alongside race one winner Tim Horrell. Charlie Robertson started the #71 L’Espace Bienvenue BMW from third, joined on the second row by the Araújo Competição Aston Martin of Frederico Peters. At the front, Mesch moved into an early lead, while Charlie Robertson had his BMW ahead of Peters from the second. However, the Aston driver carried more momentum into turn two, and aimed for a rapidly closing gap. The resulting contacted ended Peters’ race, punctured Robertson’s right-rear tyre and damaged the wheel. By the time Robertson arrived to the pits, he was already a lap down; in essence, the title fight was over.
The remainder of the race was a straight-forward affair for Mesch and Förderer, who drove the race of a pairing who knew they were on the front foot. The victory margin for the German was ultimately eight seconds, apropos for their eighth victory of the season. Tim Horrell and Hendrik Still won the PRO-AM class from second overall, with W&S teammates Nicolas Guillaume and Frederik Zebis in third. W&S also won the AM class, courtesy of Joachim Bölting.
The overall championship was now confirmed in favour of Joel Mesch and Enrico Förderer, who could also celebrate a suite of GT4 Winter Series records: With eight overall victories in the season, the benchmark for most victories in a season for a single driver line-up, team and manufacturer were simultaneously broken.
Heading into the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the overall runners-up position will be a hot topic, as Frederik Zebis is a likely challenger to Ravi Ramyead and Charlie Robertson. With exciting additions to the largest grid of the season, including outgoing overall champions Elite Motorsport, the 2026 GT4 Winter Series finale will be a show-stealing spectacle!
The first race of the Aragon weekend began in dry conditions, though the clouds overhead portended the likelihood of a shift in conditions. Thomas Bearman started the race from pole for Van Amersfoort Racing, alongside US Racing’s Ary Bansal. Van Langendonck started the race from third, joined on row two by Samuel Ifrid (CRAM), who achieved his best starting position of the season so far. As the race began, the top three remained solidly in their positions, while Ifrid was under pressure from US Racing’s Oleksandr Savinkov. Heading down to the corkscrew for the first time, Savinkov tapped the rear of Ifrid, sending the Swiss driver spinning to the rear of the pack. In the aftermath of this moment, Aleksander Ruta moved up to fourth, and broke away from the rest of the field along with the top three.
Thomas Bearman was resolutely defending the lead in the early minutes, finding a way to come out on top of three-wide moments and aggressive moves. However, as the race approached half-distance, Bearman outbraked himself at the turn 16 hairpin, allowing Van Langendonck through. Bearman would continue to defend hard, but again failed to get the car stopped moments later at turn one, allowing both Ruta and Bansal past.
On the same lap, Ruta – now running second – drifted wide at turn seven, allowing Bansal to ease towards his inside on the run to the corkscrew. Ruta attempted to go defensive, but spun himself out on the front nose of Bansal, which remarkably remained undamaged. Ruta would continue after the spin, ultimately finishing tenth. In the closing minutes of the race, rain began to fall around the circuit, and the slippery conditions added yet more challenges as Bearman and Bansal fought for track position. It appeared that Bansal had a slightly more compliant car, and would soon move away from Bearman and close down Dries Van Langendonck.
Heading onto the final lap, Van Langendonck had Bansal for company, as well as Nicolas Cortes and Ludovico Busso. The latter pair were a lap down, but had switched to wet tyres. Using the grip advantage, Cortes moved by. Pre-occupied with both Bansal and the fast-moving ‘traffic’, Van Langendonck outbraked himself at turn one of the final lap, handing the lead and the win to Bansal. For Bansal, his second victory of the season was a pivotal one; the gap between he and Van Langendonck was now down to 54 points. Van Langendonck ultimately took second overall – and the Rookie Trophy win – ahead of Thomas Bearman, while Chiara Bättigtook home 16th to win in the Female Trophy.
RACE TWO
Sunday morning saw dry conditions for the Formula Winter Series competitors, and Thomas Bearman once again started from pole position, with Dries Van Langendonck lined up alongside him. Ary Bansal and Samuel Ifrid Comprised row two, ahead of Alfie Slater (Rodin Motorsport) and Campos’ Chiara Bättig. VAR’s Aleksander Ruta was withdrawn from the race, having sustained a hand-injury in race one.
As the lights went out, Slater struggled to get off the line and fell to the rear of the field. Conversely, Pedro Lima launched much too early from ninth, moving up into the top five, but also gaining a five-second time penalty. At the front, Bearman turned into the first corner side-by-side with Bansal. After a busy first lap, Bearman would ultimately cross the line as the race leader as the race settled. Further back, Oleksandr Savinkov was performing a storming drive. Having started 21st, the US Racing driver quickly moved into the points paying positions, and would continue to chip away towards the top five with searing pace.
At the front, Thomas Bearman spent much of the early race under scrutiny from Bansal. However, the Indian racer began to struggle, and quickly lost out to Dries Van Langendonck. With the driver’s lap times falling away, it became a two-horse race at the front. With his car coming to him as the race progressed, Van Langendonck was soon past Bearman with a move at turn seven. This would prove to be the definitive move in the lead battle.
Further back, Ary Bansal had fallen back as far as ninth place, but was defending incredibly hard to try and retain a points-paying position. With as many as eight drivers behind him, he held on to ninth on the road. However, a track limits penalty would be applied, and would therefore drop the Indian driver out of the points. At the front, Dries Van Langendonck took a commanding victory in the overall and rookie class, winning the latter classification’s season standings. Oleksandr Savinkov crossed the line a brilliant third, and was promoted to second place following a penalty for Thomas Bearman, which dropped the Brit to third. Chiara Bättig won the Female Trophy on the road, running in the midst of the Ary Bansal-led midfield scrum. However, as the Swiss received a track limits penalty, she was ultimately demoted behind Mathilda Paatz, who won the class and finished ninth overall.
RACE THREE
As a result of Bansal finishing outside of the points, race two winner Dries Van Langendonck was now in prime position to claim the overall championship in the final race of the weekend. He would start from pole, with Ary Bansal in ninth; ‘DVL’ would only need to outscore Bansal by three points to win the title.
Joining Van Langendonck on the front row was his Rodin teammate Alfie Slater, while US Racing’s Arjen Kräling lined up third alongside Thomas Bearman. Van Langendonck got the best start of the frontrunners, while Kräling moved up to second at the expense of Alfie Slater at turn one. Further back, Ginevra Panzeri lost her front wing and sustained further damage to her AS Motorsport entry, and could not move the car beyond the run-off area at turn three. This triggered the first Safety Car period of the FWS event.
Upon the resumption of the race, Kräling looked very fast in the mirrors of Dries Van Langendonck, and would find a way by after a lap, taking the inside line at turn one. Moments later, Ary Bansal was tagged by Pedro Lima at turn five, sending the Indian racer into the gravel, where he would become beached. With this, the title picture became clear: If Van Langendonck finished eighth or above, he would be the overall champion. A second Safety Car period was necessitated to collect Bansal, and the dramas would not cease there, as a third would be called late in the race to collect the #20 car of Teo Borenstein, who’s right-rear wheel was down at the turn five run-off, having seemingly made contact with Alfie Slater.
Through all of the Safety Car periods and restarts, Arjen Kräling remained in control, and looked set to follow-up his Valencia win another top step visit at Aragon. However, on the final lap, his car’s rear stepped out on him at turn four. This fractional momentum loss was enough to put Thomas Bearman on his gearbox, and the pair would soon run through turn 13 side-by-side. Van Langendonck debated with making it three-wide for T14, but backed out.
Bearman and Kräling stifled each other’s momentum heading onto the 1.2km back straight, allowing Van Langendonck to get his nose ahead into the race lead. The trio would go three-wide into the turn 16 hairpin, but Van Langendonck did enough to finish just 0.029 clear of Bearman. With his victory, ‘DVL’ won the overall Formula Winter Series title with a round to spare, and surpassed Kacper Sztuka’s 2023 record of most wins in a season, taking a sixth P1 of the year.
Finishing second, Thomas Bearman also moved up to P2 in the championship standings, with just a nine-point buffer over Bansal headed to Barcelona. Ethan Lennon finished the race in third, pipping Arjen Kraling to a podium finish in a hectic final sequence.
With the overall and rookie championships decided in favour of Van Langendonck, the intrigue moves to the Bearman vs. Bansal vice-championship battle. Additionally, the teams’ championship fight is one of narrow margins; heading into Barcelona, Rodin lead the way with 308 points. However, with US Racing on 305 and Van Amersfoort on 287, the teams’ battle will go to the wire this coming weekend.
Igor Klaja of PTT Racing also came to Aragon on 126 points. However, with only two cars in the Cup 2 Class for Porsche 992 Cup cars, Klaja would only be able to score a maximum of 36 points across the weekend at Aragon; conversely, his rivals in GT3 had 60 points available. The first race of the weekend would be held on Saturday evening, in wet conditions. Guy Albag, who raced in the 2025 Formula Winter Series, would line-up for his GT Winter Series debut on pole position. He would be at the wheel of the #64 Antonelli Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Juta Racing returned to the grid for the first time since Portimão, with Arunas Geciauskas lining up the Audi in second.
Kenneth Heyer lined-up fourth in the #11 SR Mercedes, while title rival Simon Orange started seventh.
Albag held the lead as the race began, but would soon start falling back, losing out to Geciauskas at turn 12 on lap one. Further back, from seventh, Simon Orange was trying to move up the field. At turn seven on lap one, he tried to get to the inside of Przemyslaw Bienkowski (PTT Mercedes). As Bienkowski turned in, the pair collided, and both drivers spun to the back but continued.
Elsewhere in the GT3 class, Finn Zulauf was quickly working through the field in the #19 LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler Lamborghini. Soon, Zulauf had worked his way into second place, and gave chase to the Juta Audi of Geciauskas.
Two of the drivers Zulauf had passed – Albag and Sendom Racing Team’s Seweryn Mazur – began fighting hard for third. Under significant scrutiny, Albag went wide at turn 12, tried to rejoin, and collided with Mazur, damaging the Mercedes’ suspension. The car was too damaged to continue; Albag was out of the race, and the Safety Car was briefly deployed to recover the Antonelli entry. Arunas Geciauskas received a stroke of luck as the race resumed; Michael Fischbaum – a lap down in his Auto Sport Racing Lamborghini – was between the leader and Finn Zulauf. Unable to move by until the start/finish line, Zulauf lost several seconds to Geciauskas. The other battles were compacted together; Kenneth Heyer was challenging Seweryn Mazur for third. Under the German’s scrutiny, Mazur ran deep into the turn 16 hairpin, subsequently spinning himself out on the front of the Mercedes as he took an unusual line on corner exit.
Heyer therefore inherited third, while Simon Orange completed a successful move back through the order to finish just behind his title rival in fourth. At the front, Zulauf worked hard to catch Gesciauskas, but it wasn’t quite enough, and the Lithuanian racer claimed his first-ever GT Winter Series triumph.
RACE TWO
The second race of the weekend – held in dry conditions – saw Marcus Clutton on pole position for Orange Racing by JMH. Clutton came into the race feeling the pressure of an important race. With the points gap now out to eight in favour of Heyer and Härtling, outscoring the SR Mercedes was key. Clutton would be joined on the front row by Felix Hirsiger in the Engstler Lamborghini, while Jay Mo Härtling lined up directly behind Clutton from third.
As the race began, Clutton moved into the race lead, and Härtling followed him past Felix Hirsiger. Over the opening laps, Clutton was fast out of the blocks, and was 1.3 seconds clear of Härtling after the first lap. Further back, on lap two, Seweryn Mazur went straight on at turn 14 with a stuck throttle. The Polish driver’s race came to an end with the car far removed from the track, thus racing could continue around the track. While Clutton’s early pace was impressive at the front, Jay Mo Härtling would soon start to reel the McLaren in. The German racer resolutely sat in the mirrors of the leading car, until a poor run through the corkscrew with six minutes to go. A puff of smoke emanated from the Mercedes at the bottom of the hill, as the pace dropped off. By turn 14, the #11 car was forced into limping home; the car had developed a wheel nut issue.
In the closing laps, Clutton’s paced dropped off alarmingly. The JMH McLaren would win the race, but only by six tenths over Felix Hirsiger. Post-race, Clutton confessed: “My car didn’t have much fuel”. Arunas Geciauskas finished third in the GT3 class and overall, while Jay Mo Härtling scored points for sixth in GT3, having completed 75 per cent race distance. Even with those points, the title battle had shifted; Clutton and Simon Orange went into race three leading the overall standings by two points.
RACE THREE
For the 60-minute pitstop race, the championship battle was once again represented on the front row of the grid. Kenneth Heyer would start the #11 SR Motorsport Mercedes from pole, alongside Simon Orange in the #67 Orange Racing by JMH McLaren.
The top two remained in grid order as the race began, while Seweryn Mazur spun from sixth at turn one. The Sendom Lamborghini continued in the race from the back of the field. From third on the grid, Finn Zulauf swept around the outside of Simon Orange at turn two, and would soon begin pressuring for the lead in the Engstler Lamborghini. On the second lap, Guy Albag also found his way past Simon Orange, who looked to be playing a pacifist role. On the second lap, Heyer drifted wide, allowing Zulauf to power through into the race lead and begin building a gap. As the Lamborghini powered away, and Rossocorsa’s Cup 1 Ferrari of Samuele Buttarelli moved up to second overall, all eyes were on the championship rivals behind. By the end of the first stint, Simon Orange was in fifth ahead of Kenneth Heyer, having swept around the outside of the first corner to take track position. And, after the pitstops, the two GT3s remained close, now with Marcus Clutton and Jay Mo Härtling at the helm of their respective cars. Over thew course of the stint, the pair would catch an entertaining battle for second between Guy Albag and Juta Racing’s Arunas Geciauskas. Gradually, both Clutton and Härtling moved by both parties, with Clutton thankful to catch each car at an opportune moment. At the front of the field, Finn Zulauf and Felix Hirsiger had amassed a lead of over 25 seconds, dominating the race on their way to victory. Marcus Clutton brought home the McLaren in second, extending he and Simon Orange’s points lead over third-placed Heyer and Härtling to four points.
Geciauskas finished fourth, after Guy Albag dropped away towards the end of the race. Rossocorsa’s Giacomo Rinaldo and Samuele Buttarelli finished eighth overall after running second early on, losing time to a long pitstop during the driver change window. In the uncontested Cup 1 class, the pair scored all three victories. Igor Klaja won all three races in the Cup 2 class, keeping his #7 PTT Porsche in the overall title hunt.
As the GT Winter Series field heads to Barcelona, Orange and Clutton sit on 178 points in the overall championship, with Heyer and Härtling on 174. Klaja is the only other driver close enough to challenge the GT3 line-ups, on 162 points.
Yet another highly-competitive GT3 class headlines a deluxe entry in the GT Winter Series, as GEDLICH Racing’s flagship category makes its first Spanish appearance of the 2026 season.
The Circuit Ricardo Tormo has historically been a high-water mark for the GT Winter Series in terms of entries and competition, and the 2026 visit to Valencia’s famed circuit is looking to be no exception.
In the GT3 class, 13 cars are set to take the start. Defending class champions SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm arrive to Valencia with Kenneth Heyer and Jay Mo Hartling as the overall and GT3 points leaders. The #11 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo from the German team is closely followed in the points standings by Orange Racing by JMH’s Marcus Clutton and Simon Orange, who aim to claim their first win of the season in the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
For a second time this season, Haupt Racing Team brings its pair of Ford Mustangs to the class, once again featuring the line-up it is set to compete with in ADAC GT Masters. A pair of Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2s also arrive to the paddock with another of Germany’s top teams, LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler. Tim Hutter receives a new co-driver in the form of Ethan Brown, while the head-turning line-up of Felix Hirsiger and Finn Zulauf enter the team’s second GT3 car for the first time this season.
One week after joining the team at last week’s 6H of Portimao, Carrie Schreiner once again gets behind the wheel of the Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Additional GT3 entries come from Joos Sportwagentechnik, Sendom Racing Team, Grupo Prom Racing Team and Norik Racing. For the second time this year, a second SR Motorsport Mercedes GT3 joins the grid, with Moritz Wiskirchen and Michael Sander at the wheel.
After teaming up at the GEDLICH Racing 6H of Portimão, Team Steiner Racing’s Mats Kimby, Ulrik Forsberg and Anders Steiner once again enter separate Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars in the Cup 2 class. Additionally, PTT Racing and PTSportsbyUp2Race enter their regular entries, while MS Racing brings Benedikt Seipt and Werner Panhauser to the grid. As well as the Porsche, the Austrian team also brings a Cup 3 McLaren Artura Trophy Evo for Fabian Seipt and Kajus Siksnelis.
No fewer than four AF Corse Ferrari 296 Challenge entries join the grid, with driver line-ups that all compete against each other regularly in Ferrari Challenge UK. Araujo Competicao, Gabs Competizioni and Reparto Corse all bring additional 296 Challenge entries, for a seven-car battle in Cup 1. In Cup 4, Auto Sport Racing’s pair of regular Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 entries are joined by Denmark’s DC Motorsport. Nino Ostergaard and Frederik Schandorff share driving duties.
For the second time in 2026, NM Racing Team brings its Mercedes-AMG GT2 to the grid. Nil Montserrat shares the car with regular co-driver Alberto de Martin. Marcus and Christoph Oeynhausen once again take to the track in their BMW Z4 GT3, entered into the GTX class. Meanwhile, GEDLICH Racing’s own Jann Joge rounds out the entry, set to make his GT racing debut in an Equipe Vitesse-entered Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup.
The thrilling GT Winter Series grid is set to be a highlight of the GEDLICH Racing pilgrimage to Valencia, which features modified and exotic car festival ROOW for the first time. Live music, display cars, street eats and trade stands headline the off-track festivities, as the Winter Series brings the noise on-track. Tickets are still available to attend the event, while all races will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel in partnership with Alpha Live.
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
Over the Portuguese leg of the season, Rodin Motorsport’s Dries Van Langendonck has marked himself as the man to beat in the championship battle. Having already taken three victories, the McLaren Driver Development Programme talent is currently the only competitor with multiple wins on the board. The Belgian driver sits atop the standings on 108 points, some 42 points clear of US Racing’s Ary Bansal, who claimed his first win of the season at Portimão.
Fellow US Racing driver Oleksandr Savinkov sits third in the points, and had a best finish of second place at Portimão. After claiming his first-ever F4 victory at Estoril, the Italian-flagged driver will be eager to add more front-running results to the tally. After a weekend spent off the podium, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rocco Coronel will be looking to bounce back in Valencia; he currently holds fourth in the standings.
After securing two Female Trophy wins at Portimão, Zoe Florescu of Campos Racing will be looking for more positive results and accolades. After taking the best-ever Formula Winter Series finish for a female driver at Estoril, and missing out on a Female Trophy win at Portimão, fellow Campos driver Chiara Bättig will be keen for a competitive outing in Spain.
New drivers for this weekend include Canada’s Jensen Burnett, who joins Mathilda Racing with a championship-winning record in karts. He will be joined by the USA’s Caitlyn McDaniel, who makes her first appearance in current Tatuus F4 machinery after a season in GB4. Erik Poulsen joins AS Motorsport, ironically picking up the mantle from namesake Viktor Poulsen.
As always, the three Formula Winter Series races will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel. Meanwhile, tickets are still available to experience what promises to be one of the highlights of the calendar at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in 2026.
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 15-year-old from Jalisco joined the Swiss team in 2025, to race in the F4 CEZ Championship. In his rookie car racing season, Cortés finished fourth in the standings, scoring four podiums. During his tenure in karts, Cortés became a championship-winning force in the 2024 SKUSA Pro-Tour, and also won a multitude of accolades in his home country.
Now, with his eyes set on an expanded 2026 campaign with Jenzer, Cortés joins the Formula Winter Series grid for both the Portimão and Motorland Aragon events. For Portimão, Cortés joins Teo Borenstein, Levi Arn and Markas Silkunas in the Jenzer Motorsport line-up.
The second round of the Formula Winter Series at Portimão will stream live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, alongside full coverage of the GEDLICH Racing 6H of Portimão and the all-new Sports Prototype Winter Series. Spectators can attend the event for just €10, to witness a full quota of international on-track action.
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
For the British driver, it will be a sophomore season in the Formula Winter Series. In his 2025 campaign, Bearman finished second in the Rookie standings, scoring a podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Bearman continued his 2025 season in the British F4 Championship, claiming a race win, multiple podiums and eighth in the standings.
Thomas Bearman commented: “I’m really excited to be racing with VAR in 2026. It’s a team that has had great success in the past and it feels amazing to join that journey and see what we can accomplish together.”
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Team Principal Brad Joyce added: “We’re pleased to welcome Thomas to Van Amersfoort Racing. He has shown consistent progress throughout his karting and early single-seater career and has already demonstrated the level of talent and pace we look for in young drivers. His performances so far give us real confidence in his potential, and we’re looking forward to working with him as he continues to develop as a driver.”
Oliver Bearman and Van Amersfoort Racing will be looking for a positive start to the season this coming weekend, as the Formula Winter Series kicks off at Estoril from 22-25 January. All of the action will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, while great value tickets are still available for fans trackside.
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
Vittorio Orsini arrives into the paddock riding a wave of support from his homeland; the Italian won the 22° Supercorso Federale ACI Sport, the national federation’s training program designed to bolster the best karting talent as they move into car racing. Mercedes Formula One driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli – son of AKM team boss Marco Antonelli – won the same prize in 2021, shortly before his dominant 2022 F4 season.
Orsini has tested F4 cars extensively with AKM, and will now make his racing debut in the Formula Winter Series for a full-season campaign.
Felipe Reijs competed in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2025, graduating out of his native Dutch and Benelux karting scene. Driving an understated-yet-consistent campaign, Reijs finished 20th in the standings, retiring from only two of the 21 races he participated in. The 15-year-old then moved into the Middle East-based Formula Trophy series, taking a points finish in his debut F4 race. Reijs will join the Formula Winter Series grid for Estoril, Portimão and Valencia.
Both Orsini and Reijs will both score points in the Formula Winter Series Rookie class, for drivers with nine races or fewer in F4 cars.
The line-up is rounded out by Abdullah Ayman Kamel, a multi-time karting champion in his native Saudi Arabia. Kamel will begin his sophomore F4 season with AKM, having already joined the team for a full-season campaign in the E4 Championship. Additionally, Kamel raced in the full 2025 F4 Middle East and F4 Saudi Arabia seasons, taking fifth in the latter championship. As one of his nation’s best junior prospects, Kamel will be aiming to fight for strong results in 2026, starting with the Formula Winter Series.
The 2026 Formula Winter Series season is right around the corner! The season begins at the historic Circuito Estoril from January 22-25, marking the first time GEDLICH’s F4 category has competed at the venue. Fans will be able to watch the racing action of FWS, GT & GT4 Winter Series for just €10 per weekend ticket. Additionally, every moment will also be broadcast live 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
Alfie Slater, 15, already has two full seasons of car racing under his belt in the Ginetta Junior Championship. After a 2024 season with moments of promise, the young Brit hit his stride in 2025, winning three races and finishing fifth in the standings. Slater will now step-up to single-seaters in F4, starting with the Formula Winter Series.
Dries Van Langendonck, 15, arrives into car racing with a stellar karting record, and the backing of the McLaren Driver Development Programme. The Belgian, born a stone’s throw from the Circuit Zolder, won the FIA Karting World Championship’s OK-Junior class in 2023, as well as the 2024 FIA Karting European Championship in the same division. In collaboration with Rodin, Van Langendonck competed in the final three rounds of British F4 in 2025, winning a race in his first weekend.
Ethan Lennon will celebrate his 15th birthday on the first day of testing for the 2026 Formula Winter Series, the 22nd of January. Lennon is a multiple-time karting champion in his native South Africa, who also achieved promising results on the international stage. Lennon also debuted in car racing within the Ginetta Junior Championship, scoring three top-five finishes in a partial campaign.
Rodin Motorsport is returning to the Formula Winter Series for 2026, after a race-winning campaign in 2024. As one of the biggest single-seater racing operations outside of Formula One, David Dicker’s team is always a threat for victories and championship accolades. The trio of young stars at Rodin are well-positioned to be front-runners in the upcoming FWS season.
The 2026 season begins at a new destination, the legendary Circuito Estoril, from 22-25 January. The five-round calendar takes in the best circuits in Portugal and Spain, and fans can enjoy the action trackside from just €10 for a weekend ticket. The collaboration between GEDLICH Racing and Alpha Live continues in 2026, with enhanced live coverage of every race streaming 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
As British GT4 vice-champions in 2025, Robertson and Ramyead return to the Winter Series with an eye on PRO-AM championship honours and overall race results. Robertson, an FIA Gold-rated driver with a proven record of success in the UK and Europe, is co-driver and driver coach to Ramyead. The gifted 50-year-old amateur has turned heads since his first races in 2021, proving to be a front-runner in Ginetta GT Academy before a winning switch to GT4 racing.
The British duo entered the 2025 GT4 Winter Series, competing as an invitational entrant in the Evo-spec M4, which had not yet been formally homologated. The pairing had an exciting Winter Series campaign filled with intense wheel-to-wheel battles. Ramyead, 50, saw the experience as an immense benefit to his race readiness, and had eyes on a 2026 return just days after the 2025 Barcelona finale.
This plan has now materialised, albeit with a new team, in the form of L’Espace Bienvenue. The French outfit, representing a successful French BMW dealer group, is run by the renowned Racetivity race car preparation company. The team has achieved vast success in both its native France, and the GT4 European Series, and will be looking to compete at the front of the multi-national GEDLICH Racing GT4 grid.
The 2026 GT4 Winter Series begins at Portimão’s Autodromo Internacional do Algarve from 15-18 January. Every moment of the racing action will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, while local fans will be able to take in a weekend of elite international motorsport from as little as €10.
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
