60 CARS FOR THE ENDURANCE CUP AT PAUL RICARD
With the two-day Official Test Days at Paul Ricard on 8–9 April, the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season officially gets under way, moving straight into the thick of the action the following weekend with the first race of the championship. A total of 60 cars are expected on the grid - the maximum seasonal capacity for the Endurance Cup - and they will launch their challenge against Rutronik Racing, who claimed the Endurance Cup in 2025. The race will start at 18:00 on Saturday. Completing the weekend's programme, alongside the Pirelli-equipped series, will be the GT4 European Series and the new GT3 Revival Series.
"The GT World Challenge Europe enters the 2026 season in a position of great strength," commented Matteo Braga, Circuit Racing Manager at Pirelli. "For Pirelli, this is a particularly significant factor. The series maintains a clear and recognisable sporting structure, but continues to broaden its technical and competitive base, with very high entry numbers, ten manufacturers present and an ever-increasing level of quality. For us, it is important to support this journey not only in the GT3 category, which remains the heart of the championship, but also in the associated series. In this sense, the debut of the GT3 Revival Series adds an interesting element to the 2026 programme: it celebrates twenty years of the GT3 category and further expands the scope of a weekend that, for Pirelli, holds even greater technical and sporting value."
THE 2026 GT SEASON
The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season features ten rounds, split across five Endurance events and five Sprint events, with the return of Portimão as the final round and the Paul Ricard Prologue placed immediately before the championship opener. The sporting structure remains unchanged, with GT3 cars managed via Balance of Performance and four classes: Pro, Gold, Silver and Bronze. In terms of numbers, the Sprint Cup boasts 45 cars, while the Endurance Cup starts with 60, featuring ten manufacturers: Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. Among the key technical innovations are the debut of the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 and the arrival of updated versions of the Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, Ford Mustang GT3 EVO and Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO. On the sporting front, notable new entries include Verstappen Racing joining with Mercedes-AMG, razoon – more than racing's first full-season programme with Porsche, and Lilou Wadoux's move to the Pro class with AF Corse, becoming the first woman to drive for a manufacturer team. Over the course of the season, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is expected to draw a record grid of 70 cars. The Paul Ricard programme also includes the debut of the GT3 Revival Series, a celebratory series marking twenty years of the GT3 category, also equipped by Pirelli.
P ZERO DHG: WIDER WORKING RANGE AND GREATER VERSATILITY
For the 2026 season, Pirelli's reference GT racing range remains that introduced last year: the P Zero DHG for dry conditions and the Cinturato WHB for wet conditions. The DHG, developed for GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars, ensures a wider working range, faster warm-up and greater consistency of car balance over long distances. In the versions intended for GT2 and GT4, it also features an optimised structure, profile and construction to deliver a more uniform footprint across all track conditions.
THE CINTURATO WHB WET TYRE
The Cinturato WHB, standard for all major GT classes in leading competitions, features a stiffer tread pattern and innovative materials that improve footprint, grip, low-temperature warm-up, sensitivity to aquaplaning and the usable window during racing. Stability in transition conditions from wet to dry remains another of its strengths, benefiting drivability and consistent performance.
