The opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe – Sprint Cup at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit saw Matteo Cairoli immediately competitive at the wheel of the #14 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo entered by Emil Frey Racing. Sharing driving duties with Konsta Lappalainen, the Italian driver confirmed the positive signs already shown during his recent DTM debut at the Red Bull Ring.
Saturday’s qualifying sessions placed the #14 car consistently among the frontrunners. Lappalainen, driving in Q1, set a strong lap time that secured a top-five grid position for Race 1. In Q2, Cairoli further underlined the Ferrari’s potential, emerging as the fastest driver of the pairing and the best Maranello car on the grid for Race 2, just outside the overall top ten. The Como-native was improving his lap time when a yellow flag in the middle sector forced him to abort the attempt. Brands Hatch, located in Kent, is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most technical circuits, featuring a narrow layout and short straights—conditions that make qualifying especially crucial and overtaking particularly challenging.
Race 1, held over 60 minutes, featured a high pace and several post-race penalties that reshaped the final classification. Following a complex pit stop phase, Cairoli rejoined in seventh position for the second stint. He maintained a consistent pace, defending his position and looking for opportunities to move forward in a tightly packed field. The Italian-Finnish duo crossed the line in eighth place overall, later promoted to fifth after penalties were issued for yellow flag infringements. In Race 2, Cairoli once again demonstrated consistency and precision, standing out for his clean and effective driving in close battles. Building on data gathered in Race 1, the team optimized the pit stop execution, allowing Cairoli to hand over the car in tenth position while gaining ground on direct rivals. In the second stint, Lappalainen managed traffic without clear overtaking chances, eventually climbing to ninth overall and eighth in the Pro class—marking the best result among Ferrari entries.
The British weekend confirmed Matteo Cairoli’s strong adaptation to the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, a new car for the Italian after previous experiences with several top GT manufacturers. The GT World Challenge Europe – Sprint Cup will return at Misano from June 17 to 19 for the second round of the season. Before that, Cairoli will be back in action in the DTM, with the next event scheduled from May 22 to 24 at Zandvoort.
Matteo Cairoli
“We leave Brands Hatch knowing we have the pace to fight with the front runners. The feeling with the car improved steadily, and we were competitive right from qualifying. It wasn’t an easy challenge for a first GT World Challenge weekend given the nature of the track, but the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo proved to be competitive and Emil Frey Racing did an excellent job in setting it up.”
