Matteo Cairoli celebrated his 29th birthday by winning the three-hour Monza race of the 2025 season of the GT World Challenge Europe by AWS – Endurance Cup. The Como native, who had already obtained pole position in qualifying at Paul Ricard, confirmed his performance in the Italian round by obtaining his first success of the season. He did so by scoring the first triumph for Mercedes on the Brianza circuit in the series managed by SRO. For this event, Cairoli shared the cockpit of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #48 of the Winward Racing team with Lucas Auer and Maro Engel.
The GT World Challenge format included three qualifying sessions of 15 minutes each. Matteo took part in the second phase, recording a time of 1:45.225, which combined with the time of his teammates put him in second position on the starting grid for the afternoon race.
The start was entrusted to Maro Engel, who dropped to third position during the early stages of the race. The start of the three hours of Monza was marked by numerous phases of full course yellow and safety car, but the team was smart to exploit them to allow Cairoli to get into the car in first position. The Como native showed his excellent race pace, successfully maintaining the first position throughout his stint, also increasing the gap on the first of his pursuers. Lucas Auer completed the job, crossing the finish line with a gap of more than 15 seconds.
First place meant for Cairoli and the team the conquest of 25 points, which brings the total to 41 after the fourth place obtained in France. A result that gives the Como native great confidence in view of the next appointment at the 24 Hours of Spa.
Matteo Cairoli
“I think there is no better way to celebrate your birthday. The car was fast right from the first free practice sessions and we managed to achieve an exceptional result. I can only thank Lucas, Maro and all the fans who came en masse to follow the race. It was special to stand on the top step of the podium at home and do it in front of my friends who came to celebrate me. We will keep the party going for as long as possible”.
