The GT World Challenge Europe – Sprint Cup headed to the Zandvoort circuit for the fourth round of the season. Matteo Cairoli took to the track aboard Emil Frey Racing’s #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO together with Konsta Lappalainen, in the PRO category.
On Saturday it was the Italian who took part in qualifying for race-1. Cairoli recorded a time of 1:34.552, taking tenth position in class. The #14 Ferrari suffered brake problems that did not allow the Como-born driver to achieve a significant performance. The race therefore proved to be uphill right from the start: Cairoli attempted a difficult comeback, helped however by the strategy of extending the stint in order to have a clear track when the pit stop window was open. The overcut allowed Lappalainen to exit the pits in 19th position overall. The Finn then managed to cross the finish line in 16th position, ninth in the PRO class, scoring a point in the standings.
On Sunday the situation improved drastically, starting with the pole position secured by Lappalainen, showing great competitiveness on the part of the Emil Frey team. Konsta held first position at the start, but the first minutes of the race were marked by a safety car and a full course yellow. At the green flag, Lappalainen dropped to second position. After the pit stop, Cairoli rejoined in third position, managing an excellent advantage over fourth place and triggering a duel for second. Cairoli crossed the finish line in third position, obtaining the first podium of the season.
The Cairoli-Lappalainen pairing scored a further 9.5 points, moving up to 17.5. The final round of the 2026 season will be in Barcelona on 2-4 October.
Matteo Cairoli
“I’m really happy with this weekend. Saturday was a difficult day with the brake problem, but we managed to fix the car for Sunday and our first podium arrived. I want to thank Konsta, who did an incredible lap in qualifying, and the whole Emil Frey team.”
