The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS is a motor racing championship for GT3 cars, marking the 12th edition of the GT World Challenge Europe. Organised by the SRO Motorsports Group, it forms the European part of the broader GT World Challenge, which also includes GT World Challenge America, GT World Challenge Australia and GT World Challenge Asia. It is split into the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup, each with their own respective titles, alongside the overall GT World Challenge Europe championship. The championship will take place over ten rounds held at various circuits across Europe. The annual season Prologue, which acts as the championship's pre-season testing, took place between 10 and 11 March 2025. Racing will commence in April and conclude in October.
The championship is divided into four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Pro cars have no driver restrictions and compete for the overall Drivers’ and Teams’ championships. Notably, Pro cars are limited to just three drivers at the 24 Hours of Spa. Gold cars compete in the Gold Cup and consist of Gold drivers and one Silver driver, along with an additional Gold driver for Spa if the team chooses to include one. Cars in the Silver Cup are made up entirely of Silver class drivers. Lastly, cars in the Bronze Cup have a maximum driver quality line-up of Platinum and Bronze drivers, with additional Silver drivers eligible for entry at Endurance rounds, including Spa.
Calendar
All Sprint Cup rounds consist of two one-hour races, totalling 15 races throughout the season, alongside the single 3-hour (Monza, Nürburgring and Barcelona), 6-hour (Paul Ricard), or 24-hour (Spa) races in the Endurance Cup rounds.
Calendar changes
The 2025 calendar sees Circuit Paul Ricard return to the popular weekend format of a 6-hour endurance race to open the season. This format was used between 2015 and 2023, and it will act as the season opener.
Circuit Zandvoort and Circuit Ricardo Tormo also return to the calendar after one-year absences. Notably, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will not return in 2025, being replaced by Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the season closer, which reverts to the Endurance Cup. Additionally, Hockenheim will not host a round in 2025.
Entries
Sprint Cup
Bronze Cup entries will not compete at the Brands Hatch round and will instead begin their Sprint Cup season at Misano World Circuit, the second round of the Sprint Cup and the third round of the season.
Endurance Cup
Driver and team changes
In the overall championship, Team Mann-Filter’s Maro Engel and Lucas Auer defend their overall title in the No. 48 Mercedes-AMG, joined by Matteo Cairoli during the Endurance Cup. Maxime Martin joins Mercedes-AMG, racing the No. 9 for Boutsen VDS with Luca Stolz in the Sprint Cup and Maximilian Götz and Mikaël Grenier in the Endurance rounds. AF Corse enters two Pro cars, with Arthur Leclerc driving the No. 50 with Thomas Neubauer for the Sprint rounds, and Antonio Fuoco and Eliseo Donno for the Endurance rounds. The No. 51 car features Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril for the entire season, with Alessandro Pier Guidi joining for the Endurance rounds. Rutronik Racing’s Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller aim for the overall title in the No. 96, joined by Alessio Picariello for the Endurance rounds. Team WRT returns with Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts in the No. 32, and Ugo de Wilde for the Endurance rounds. Grasser Racing’s Jordan Pepper and Luca Engstler race the full-season No. 63 car, with Mirko Bortolotti for the Endurance rounds. Garage 59 fields Marvin Kirchöfer and Benjamin Goethe in the No. 59 for the full season, adding Joseph Loake for the Endurance races. Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Henrique Chavez races the full season in the No. 34/35 (Endurance/Sprint), with David Pittard and Christian Krognes in the Endurance rounds, and Mateo Villagomez for the Sprint rounds.
In the Gold Cup, AlManer Racing by WRT features the No. 777 driven by Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann, adding Ben Tuck for the Endurance rounds. The No. 88 Tresor Attempto Racing car enters full-season, driven by Leonardo Moncini and Sebastian Øgaard, with Riccardo Cazzaniga for the Endurance rounds. Garage 59 fields a full-season Gold Cup car as well in their No. 58.
Barwell Motorsport returns in the Silver Cup with the No. 76 driven by Bijoy Garg and Christian Bogle for the full season, plus Adam Ali for the Endurance rounds. Paradine Competition (No. 992) and Team WRT (No. 30) also field full-season entries for young Dutch drivers Mex Jansen and Maxime Oosten, and Gustav Bergström and Gilles Stadsbader, respectively. Comtoyou Racing (No. 21) and Tresor Attempto Racing (No. 99) have full-season Silver Cup entries, and Boutsen VDS (No. 10) and Grasser Racing (No. 19) join them.
In the Bronze Cup, 2024 class champions Tempesta Racing return with Marco Pulcini replacing Jonathan Hui in the No. 93. Chris Froggatt and Eddie Cheever III continue for their seventh year. Paradine Competition (No. 991), Kessel Racing (No. 74), and Tressor Attempto Racing (No. 66) enter full-season Bronze entries, while Winward Racing (No. 81) and Comtoyou Racing (No. 270) also compete in this division alongside their Pro entries.
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
Tyre changes
SRO Motorsports Group will adopt Pirelli's new P Zero DHG tyres for GT World Challenge Europe in 2025. These slick racing tyres offer improved performance, faster warm-up, and greater consistency over long distances. They also feature FSC-certified natural rubber. The DHG replaces the DHF, which has been used globally for three years. Pirelli, SRO’s exclusive tyre supplier since 2013, will continue its partnership until at least 2028, supplying events like the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Season summary
Pre-season
The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe includes strong entries for both the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup, with 59 cars in the Endurance Cup expected to increase during the 24 Hours of Spa. The Sprint Cup anticipates a grid of 41 cars, but the Bronze Cup won’t participate in the opening round at Brands Hatch, leading to a 32-car entry. Manufacturer participation has grown to ten brands, with Corvette returning for the first time since 2014. The 2025 season aims for balanced competition across all classes. Stéphane Ratel, CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, noted the series’ growth and new team additions, showcasing the appeal of GT3 racing nearing its 20th anniversary.
See also
- 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
- 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
- 2025 GT World Challenge America
- 2025 GT World Challenge Asia
- 2025 GT World Challenge Australia
- 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge
Notes
References
External links
Official website
