Matteo Cairoli’s 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup campaign came to an end in Barcelona, where he competed alongside Konsta Lappalainen at the wheel of the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. The final round of the season was marked by challenging weather conditions, with rain affecting the team’s preparations and making for a difficult weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The first race of the weekend saw the #14 Ferrari start from 19th on the grid on a track made particularly treacherous by the rain. The opening stages were especially challenging due to the heavy spray thrown up by the cars, which significantly reduced visibility and made it difficult for drivers to judge reference points and distances accurately.
The #14’s race came to an unfortunate end in the pit lane. As the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari was returning to its pit box, another car was released unsafely into its path and collided with the #14. The impact damaged the suspension, forcing Cairoli and Lappalainen to retire. The incident brought their first race of the weekend to an early end, denying Cairoli the opportunity to take the wheel for the second stint. Weather conditions improved on Sunday, but the rain that had fallen the previous day left its mark on the Montmeló circuit. As a result, the organisers cancelled the second qualifying session and used the times from Free Practice 2 to determine the starting grid. The rain had also washed away some of the rubber that had gradually built up on the track during the opening days, reducing the available grip and making it more difficult for teams to find the right balance for their cars.
Cairoli made an excellent start and immediately joined the battle for positions. The Italian driver then completed a busy opening stint, engaging in several close battles as he attempted to make up ground. As the laps progressed, however, the #14 Ferrari began to lose ground to its direct rivals, partly due to the challenging grip conditions. Cairoli and Lappalainen nevertheless brought the Ferrari home in 12th place overall, before the application of two penalties totalling 10 seconds. The first, a five-second penalty, was handed out for contact with another car on the opening lap, while a further five seconds were added for a track-limits infringement. The #14 therefore finished 13th overall and ninth in the Pro Cup. The Barcelona round brought Matteo Cairoli’s 2026 Sprint Cup campaign to a close. The 30-year-old Italian finished 17th in the final championship standings with 17.5 points. The highlight of the season came at Zandvoort, where Cairoli and Lappalainen secured pole position before going on to finish third in Race 2, following a race in which the #14 Ferrari had spent much of the time among the leading contenders.
With the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup now complete, Cairoli turns his attention to the final round of his maiden DTM season, which will take place at Hockenheim next weekend.
Matteo Cairoli
“We are bringing a Sprint Cup campaign to a close that featured some very positive moments, but also weekends when we were unable to fully demonstrate our potential. Zandvoort was undoubtedly the highlight of the season, with pole position and a podium finish, while Barcelona proved particularly challenging, especially because of the weather conditions and the incidents that affected both races. I would like to thank Emil Frey Racing and Konsta for all their work throughout the season. We will now keep working hard to bring our 2026 programme to the best possible conclusion.”
