At lot has happened to Gaspard Simon in the past 12 months. This time last year the young Frenchman was competing in the FFSA French GT Championship, eventually finishing as runner-up alongside Pascal Huteau.
While he missed out on the title, he did not end 2025 empty handed. Thanks to his performance across the season, Simon emerged as the inaugural winner of the SRO GT Academy, a new development programme aimed at helping talented young drivers. Through this, he was able to secure a full-season GT World Challenge powered by AWS seat with Walkenhorst Motorsport, driving the #35 Aston Martin in both the Sprint Cup and the Endurance Cup.
"If I didn't win the SRO GT Academy, the goal was to compete in the GT4 European Series," he explains. "It would not have been possible to reach GT World, especially to do both Sprint and Endurance. I have to say a big thanks to Walkenhorst for giving me the chance to compete, but this would not have been possible without the prize money, without all the credibility that came from the SRO GT Academy."
Still a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday, Simon has now completed half a season at the highest level of GT racing. He's entered in the Silver Cup class, which is immensely competitive this year, with grids of 16 cars in Endurance and 12 in Sprint. Though yet to secure a headline result, the #35 Aston Martin has been a consistent points scorer.
"So far the season has been good," Simon confirms. "It will be a better with a podium or victory, but for my first season in GT World, it's been very positive."
The youngster made his series debut at Paul Ricard, a circuit he knows well from his time in FFSA French GT. But his next stop was Brands Hatch, a track that is famously difficult for a GT rookie to learn, let alone master.
"There are only two days of driving and not a lot of margin to have errors, but every lap brings experience," he says of the British venue. "It was not very easy, but there was a lot of pleasure. It's one of the last old school tracks in the world and the first lap was emotional. I was saying to myself, 'I am at Brands Hatch for the first time, maybe the last time because I don't know if I have the possibility to be back next year.' So this was very special."
In terms of his own performance, the weekend went well. Despite limited track time, Simon showed strong pace and stayed out of trouble throughout the event.
"I was the fastest Aston Martin in qualifying. We were not at the top in the overall classification, but it was very important for me to complete a lot of laps without contact and without damage."
Brands Hatch was typical of Simon's debut season. He has scored points in six of the seven races run across Sprint and Endurance, with a best finish of P5 at both the British track and again at Misano. There has been no drama; he has simply got on with the task of being a GT driver.
Unfortunately, the only low moment came at the biggest race of the year. At the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the #35 Aston Martin was caught up in a multi-car accident and forced to retire on the very first lap, before Gaspard had even had a chance to take the wheel. He doesn't dwell on this, but is clearly disappointed not to have been able to test himself in race conditions.
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"The week of Spa is very long and there is not a lot of driving time," he says. "We have just three days before qualifying, and it's especially difficult with four drivers in the car. It's one thing to be fast, but it's not easy to keep all your energy and be fit for the race. I didn't have the possibility to test myself on this, but the week was very special, especially as it was my first time at Spa. The parade was incredible, with so many people. There is a lot of passion for this event."
This weekend he will be on familiar territory at Magny-Cours. Simon has an excellent record at the Nevers venue, taking a win and runner-up finish in last year's FFSA French GT event. He also scored two podiums in 2024, and took a win in 2023 on his way to becoming Caterham Academy France champion.
"Magny-Cours was the first track I raced at in Caterham. In FFSA GT, it's the beginning of the last part of the season, so it's special. It's not easy to be fast there, because really there are two tracks in one. There is the fast part in the first sector, and then in the second sector and at the beginning of the third sector it's very slow. This makes it complicated."
It bears repeating that Simon's place on the grid this season was won by his talent, which made him the standout performer in the SRO GT Academy. Drivers are not judged on results (though Simon did pretty well by this metric) but on their individual performance, consistency in the car, and their approach.
"When my father and I talked about the Academy, we thought it was just money for the next season," says Simon. "In fact, there is a lot of support from SRO. I have to say a big thanks to Stéphane Ratel and all the SRO staff from around the globe for their help.
"At the start of the year I had three days with the sporting director, Didi Cazzago, who showed me different aspects of the regulations. There is a lot to learn, especially in Sprint, which is very different from what I knew in France. I think it's very important to see all these aspects, to be at 100 percent."
This year, the SRO GT Academy has expanded into the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, British GT, and the continental GT World Challenge powered by AWS series in America, Asia and Australia. It also remains active in FFSA French GT.
Like many young drivers, Simon dovetails his fledgling racing career with a university degree. But while many of his contemporaries focus on engineering or business, he has embarked on a law course.
"It's not always easy [to balance studies and motorsport], but that's been my life for the last 10 years. This season is has been more difficult because there are a lot of events. In the last two seasons I was doing between five and seven rounds, but this year it's 10, maybe more if I have the possibility to compete in other championships. With a lot of work and a lot of passion, it's possible to have the two in one life.
"If I have the possibility to be a professional driver, I will take it, 100 percent. But I want to continue my studies along with my motorsport career and see where it takes me. But there are a lot of cultural aspects in law and it opens up many possibilities."
There's no question that this is an intelligent approach. But it is clear that if things work out as he hopes, Simon will make his career as a professional racing driver. Winning the SRO GT Academy was the first step in making that dream a reality. Now, it's down to him.