Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing achieved its inaugural GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup victory on Saturday, August 1, 2026. The team’s #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, driven by Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, triumphed in Race 1 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France.
Gounon started the 60-minute sprint race from pole position, establishing an eight-second lead during his opening stint. He then handed the car over to Juncadella during the mandatory pit stop.
Juncadella maintained a comfortable lead until a full-course yellow period, initiated by a multi-car incident with 21 minutes remaining. This significantly reduced his advantage.
Arthur Leclerc, driving the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, closed the gap from over six seconds to approximately 2.5 seconds in the final laps. However, Juncadella held on to secure the win by 2.597 seconds.
Leclerc and teammate Thomas Neubauer finished second after starting ninth, while Nicki Thiim and Kobe Pauwels in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin secured third place. Max Verstappen, co-founder of Verstappen Racing, expressed his pride in the team’s breakthrough success.
This victory marks a significant milestone for Verstappen Racing, which Max Verstappen launched in late 2025 to compete in top-tier GT racing. The team operates out of a facility near Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Earlier in the 2026 season, Verstappen Racing faced setbacks. In March, the team secured a provisional victory in an NLS race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but was later disqualified for using seven sets of tyres instead of the permitted six.
The team also encountered misfortune at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May. The #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, shared by Verstappen, Gounon, Juncadella, and Lucas Auer, led the race for several hours before a driveshaft failure ended their challenge with three hours and 20 minutes remaining.
Despite these previous disappointments, Verstappen has reiterated his ambition to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours in the future, stating it feels like ‘unfinished business’.
The Magny-Cours event was the fourth round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season. The championship commenced on May 2 at Brands Hatch and is scheduled to conclude on October 4 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The winning Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo is powered by a 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. The 2026 iteration features aerodynamic refinements and suspension updates, maintaining its competitive edge in GT racing.
