The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season reaches its conclusion this weekend at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. The Portuguese circuit, known for its significant elevation changes, blind corners and demanding layout, will provide a challenging setting for the final three-hour Endurance Cup race of the year.
Matisse Lismont arrives in Portugal having already secured all three Silver Cup titles alongside Team WRT and the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Together with Ignacio “Nacho” Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel, the Belgian driver will aim to conclude a remarkable campaign with one final strong result. While the championship pressure is gone, the ambition remains unchanged, with the crew targeting a first Silver Cup Endurance race victory of the season.
To mark the team's championship success, the #30 BMW will also feature a special gold livery for the finale, replacing its familiar white design in celebration of the titles secured throughout the year.
Portimão will be the final race together for Matisse, Nacho and Amaury, offering the trio one last opportunity to add another victory to an already outstanding season.
Photocredit Michele Scudiero / WRT
The opening Free Practice session of the GT World Challenge Europe season finale saw Matisse Lismont, Ignacio Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel set the pace in the Silver Cup at Portimão.
The #30 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO completed 37 laps of the Portuguese circuit, with Ignacio “Nacho” Montenegro setting the crew's fastest lap of 1:42.902. This placed the trio first in the Silver Cup and an impressive tenth overall among the 61 cars on track, just 0.259 seconds off the fastest time of the session, set by Christopher Haase in the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi.
The 90-minute session was primarily dedicated to testing, gathering data and fine-tuning the car's setup ahead of tonight's qualifying session. With the Silver Cup titles already secured, the focus remains on finding the right balance and preparing for the final race of the season.
The team will return to the track for a second Free Practice session at 12:45 Portuguese time (UTC+1), providing another opportunity to evaluate the car and complete the preparations before qualifying this evening.
Photocredit Michele Scudiero / WRT
In the second Free Practice session at Portimão, Matisse and his teammates continued their preparations for the GT World Europe season finale. With significantly higher temperatures than in the morning session, the team focused on completing its planned testing programme in different track conditions.
Amaury Cordeel was first behind the wheel, setting the third fastest time in the Silver Cup during the opening stages. Nacho took over for the middle part of the session, followed by Matisse. The crew eventually finished sixth in the Silver Cup and 33rd overall, with Cordeel’s 1:43.798 remaining their fastest lap.
The 90-minute session was briefly interrupted by a Full Course Yellow after the #63 Lamborghini stopped on track at Turn 5. Despite the interruption, the team managed to complete the planned programme.
With track temperatures reaching 38°C during FP2, conditions were considerably hotter than in the morning. Qualifying, scheduled to start at 17:55 Portuguese time (UTC+1), is expected to take place in cooler conditions, more representative of those the drivers will encounter during tomorrow’s race, which will also run into the evening.
Tonight’s qualifying session will determine the starting grid for Saturday’s three-hour race, scheduled to get underway at 17:00 local time. With all preparations completed, the focus now shifts to securing a strong grid position for the final race of the season.
Photorcredit Michele Scudiero / WRT
QUALIFYING UPDATE : Silver Cup pole position for the #30 BMW
Following a post-qualifying decision to delete all lap times of the #65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang, the #30 Team WRT BMW has inherited pole position in the Silver Cup. The trio moves up to 15th overall on the starting grid for Saturday’s three-hour season finale at Portimão, securing a front-row start in class for their final race together.
-------------------
The #30 Team WRT BMW crew secured second place in the Silver Cup and 16th overall during Friday evening’s qualifying session at Portimão. The trio will start Saturday’s three-hour GT World Challenge Europe season finale from the eighth row of the grid, alongside the #3 Mercedes-AMG of Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat.
As usual in the Endurance Cup, qualifying was divided into three sessions, with each driver taking the wheel for 10 minutes. The Silver and Bronze Cup competitors headed out first, followed by the Pro and Gold Cup entries, with ten minutes of track time per group. After a hot afternoon that left the circuit dusty and slippery, conditions appeared to improve as temperatures dropped towards the evening. Track temperatures fell from a peak of 38°C during FP2 to around 28°C by the end of qualifying, providing conditions closer to those expected for Saturday’s late-afternoon race.
Amaury Cordeel opened qualifying aboard the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, recording a 1:43.482 to finish seventh in the Silver Cup and 31st overall in Q1.
Matisse took over for Q2 and immediately showed strong pace, setting the fastest first sector of his group. The Belgian followed up with an impressive 1:42.457, topping the Silver Cup classification and 13th overall in the second qualifying session.
Ignacio “Nacho” Montenegro completed the final qualifying run, continuing the crew’s strong performance with a 1:42.002. His lap secured second place in the Silver Cup and 11th overall in Q3.
With the average of the three drivers’ fastest lap times determining the starting grid, the #30 Team WRT BMW qualified 16th overall and P2 in the Silver Cup, with a combined average of 1:42.647. The trio missed out on Silver Cup pole position by just 0.058 seconds to the #65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s three-hour race, which gets underway at 17:00 Portuguese time. With the Silver Cup championship titles already secured, Matisse, Nacho and Amaury will be looking to conclude their final race together with another strong result.
Subscribe our newsletter
x
