FINAL RESULT: MONZA
Tresor Attempto Racing triumphed in one of the most remarkable races in GT World Challenge powered by AWS history as Monza produced another story of twists and turns. The German squad came from nowhere to clinch victory, putting Audi back on the top step of an Endurance Cup for the first time since 2022.
On a day when many of the leading Pro cars fell out of contention, it was a Silver Cup crew that sealed overall honours with Rocco Mazzola, Ariel Levi and Sebastian Øgaard triumphing from 29th on the grid.
The tone was set with a dramatic multi-car crash at Turn 1. Contact in the pack sent the #59 Garage 59 McLaren spinning backwards into the leaders, eliminating the top five starters as well as several other contenders. The victims included the #64 HRT Ford Racing entry which had secured a breakthrough pole and looked to have pulled off a perfect start. Fortunately, all drivers were declared okay following the accident.
When the race resumed Maxime Martin (#17 Team GetSpeed) led a Mercedes-AMG one-two ahead of Maro Engel (#48 Team Mann-Filter). However, the Belgian was judged to have been responsible for the Turn 1 crash, having moved into the pack and set off a chain reaction. Martin received a three-minute stop-go penalty, effectively ending the #17 squad's race, though the Belgian later protested his innocence.
Once the #17 Mercedes-AMG took its penalty it was Engel out front from Alessio Picariello in the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche. With so many of their rivals eliminated by the accident, this duo seemed to be in a two-way fight for the win. They handed over to Luca Stolz and Dorian Boccolacci respectively, who continued the battle.
A safety car period mid-way through the second stint saw strategies diverge, sending the #32 Team WRT BMW – which had stopped during the early neutralisation – to the head of the field. Boccolacci retained second, while the #23 Team RJN McLaren entered the fight with Ben Dörr at the wheel. The #48 Mercedes-AMG stopped late in the safety car phase, seemingly ending its chances of a win.
The #32 BMW and the #2 Porsche pitted for the final time with 50 minutes remaining and appeared to be on the optimal strategy, but there were a few twists left to come. The turning point came with just 20 minutes remaining when two separate incidents – a crash and an engine failure – resulted in a full-course yellow and ultimately another safety car.
This completely shuffled the order. The new leader was the #66 Audi, which had quietly run in the top five and then jumped the #87 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG at the final round of stops. The #23 McLaren was third, with the #48 Mercedes-AMG now back in contention in fourth.
At the restart, the #87 Mercedes-AMG instantly attacked the #66, but Mazzola defended firmly into Turn 1. This proved to be crucial: on the following lap another big crash brought out a final safety car and effectively ended the race. Contact between the #32 BMW and the #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche sent the latter into a frightening crash, which eliminated the #87 Mercedes-AMG and very nearly took out the #48 as well.
This allowed the #66 Audi to cross the line unchallenged and secure a win that will not be forgotten by any of the Tresor Attempto Racing squad. Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter was second and scored important championship points, while the #555 CSA Racing McLaren was a superb P3 overall – yet still only second in the Silver Cup.
With the #87 Mercedes-AMG eliminated, the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari took Bronze Cup honours. Dustin Blattner, Dennis Marschall and Lorenzo Patrese were P9 overall, one spot ahead of the #56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin.
Monza was not especially kind to the Gold Cup runners, with the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi and the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche among the casualties of the early crash. Victory went to the #71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari, which came home 15th overall with Simon Birch, Malte Ebdrup and Frederik Schandorff sharing the controls.
The 2026 season resumes next month with the biggest race of the year, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, which stages its 78th edition on 24–28 June. For more information and to get your tickets, please click here.