Monza heat and close battles ignite the GTWC weekend

Searing temperatures, a track busy with GT cars throughout the weekend and no shortage of excitement for the large crowd that filled the grandstands and paddock: that, in brief, was the Monza round of the GT World Challenge. The event delivered plenty of spectacle, with numerous close battles, contact between cars and off-track moments, particularly in the early stages of the 3 Hours.

Taking the top step of the podium were Andrea Mazzola, Sebastian Øgaard and Ariel Levi in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, at the end of a race full of twists right to the finish, with several laps run under safety car and full course yellow conditions. Second place went to the Mann-Filter Team Mercedes-AMG, driven by Luca Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel, while third went to the CSA Racing McLaren, shared by Lorens Lecertua, Baptiste Moulin and Romain Andriolo.

At the start, a chain reaction of contact eliminated several leading contenders, including the HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, which had taken its first GTWC pole position. The early contacts and the subsequent safety car intervention reshaped the race strategies, as several crews used the opportunity to complete their mandatory pit stops. That decision then gave teams greater freedom in choosing the timing of their next stop and extended the stints, increasing the stress on the tyres, already high because of the characteristics of the circuit, the elevated temperatures and the amount of debris left on track over the course of the weekend.

“It was a decidedly demanding weekend for everyone, with plenty of points of interest for the public and for the teams, who were given several elements to reflect on,” commented Matteo Braga, Pirelli Racing Activity Manager. “Our P Zero tyres proved reliable and consistent even in these conditions, across all the categories we supply.”

In the other series supported by Pirelli, including the McLaren Trophy, the GT2 European Series saw a Maserati one-two in Race 1, with Antoine Potty of I4Race taking victory ahead of Gherard Tweraser of LP Racing. Third place went to Jay Mo Härtling in a Mercedes-AMG GT2, who then went on to win Race 2, followed by two more Mercedes cars driven by Nil Montserrat and Branden Oxley, both from NM Racing Team.

In the GT4 European Series, Enrico Förderer completed a double, winning both Race 1 and Race 2 in a Mercedes-AMG GT4.