GT Winter Series speeds into Estoril

The second round of the GT Winter Series takes place at the Circuito Estoril, a venue that has traditionally yielded upsets on the result sheets.

In 2025, all three races were won by Cup class machinery, as the GT3 entries struggled on a predominantly wet weekend. If this feat is to be repeated in 2026, the Cup crews will have to better a much stronger GT3 entry than was seen the previous year at Estoril.

For SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm’s #11 Mercedes, the opening round at Portimão was one of mixed fortunes. While Jay Mo Härtling secured a victory in the second race of the weekend, races one and three both deviated from the intended script for he and defending GT3 champion Kenneth Heyer.

The pairing will be looking for a consistent presence on the podium at Estoril.

Fellow full-season entrants Orange Racing by JMH had a strong start to its season in Portimão, in spite of challenging qualifying sessions compromising Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton’s starting positions. This time around, the British pair will look to convert their pace into victories.

Andre Fernandes will once again bring his Porsche 991.2 GT3 R to the grid with AF Motorsport. Meanwhile, LIQUI Moly Team Engstler continue with Tim Hütter and Jonas Karklys in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2.

Another Huracan will be entered by Vincenzo Sospiri Racing. Piloted by 2025 Italian GT Sprint PRO-AM champions Mattia Michelotto and Ignazio Zanon, the #66 entry will be a formidable addition to the field.

PTT Racing’s Prezemyslaw Bienkowski and Mateus Lisowski had a quiet outing at the first event, and will look to grab the spotlight here at Estoril. A pair of solo-driven Mercedes-AMGs complete the GT3 entry; Alfredo Hernandez (Grupo Prom Racing Team) and Dexter Müller (CBRX By SPS).

After a class win last time out, Lukas Azzato and Alberto Cola will be looking for more success in the #13 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 Challenge, which headlines the Cup 1 entry.

However, AF Corse arrives to the circuit with two strong entries from the UK. After coming close to a class win during the third race at Portimão, Sean Ran and Josh Steed will be determined to find themselves on the top step of the podium. A new pairing for this weekend – Joseph Dean and Aston Millar – are likely to be highly-competitive.

Alvaro Ramos (Araújo Competição) and Friedrich Müller (LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler) complete Cup 1, at a venue where the 296 Challenge was responsible for two overall victories in 2025.

Cup 2 will see PTT Racing’s Igor Klaya go up against the PTSports by Up2Race entry of Oleksii Kikireshko and Fabio Grosse. The competitive order is completed by the Cup 4 class for Lamborghini Super Trofeo machinery, where Auto Sport Racing’s pair of entries will be complemented by Shota Abkhazava of ART-Line.

This weekend’s grid marks the largest assembled for the GT Winter Series at Estoril, since GT4s gained their own field in 2024. With a strong GT3 field, plenty of competitive entries within the Cup classes, and tricky conditions looking likely on the radar, this weekend’s racing is set to deliver intrigue in spades.

Both days of racing will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel. Tune in from 12:45PM local time on Saturday, and 09:15AM on Sunday, to see all of the action from Estoril!