BMW Dominance: Weerts and Van der Linde Sweep Misano Sprint Cup Weekend

BMW factory drivers Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde secured a clean sweep at the Misano round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, winning both races of the weekend. Their performance in the second race marked the first time a driver duo has claimed both victories in a single Sprint Cup weekend since Zandvoort in 2023. With this result, Weerts extended his record to 20 career Sprint Cup wins, ten of which have been achieved at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Strategic Execution at WRT

The victory for the WRT-run BMW M4 GT3 was decided during the mandatory pit stop window. A precise and rapid stop by the WRT mechanics allowed the team to leapfrog the competition, moving the BMW into the lead. Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, finished second, trailing the winners by 2.977 seconds. Gounon had initially controlled the opening half of the race after starting from pole position, but the team lost the lead during the pit cycle.

Late-Race Overtakes and Championship Stakes

The final spot on the podium went to the WINWARD Racing duo of Lucas Auer and Maro Engel. Auer secured third place with a move on Valentino Rossi during the penultimate lap. Rossi, paired with Max Hesse for WRT, ultimately finished fourth, ending his bid for a fourth victory at the Misano venue.

The race was marked by early-stage turbulence when championship leader Bastian Buus, driving for Lionspeed GP, collided with the Rutronik Racing Lamborghini of Patric Niederhauser in the first chicane just five minutes into the event. Officials issued a drive-through penalty to Buus for the incident. Further disruption occurred when Kobe Pauwels retired his Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin after ten minutes due to a technical failure, and a Full Course Yellow was later deployed to recover the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari of Matteo Cairoli, which stopped on track following the pit window.

Race 2 Results: Top 10

The following standings reflect the final classification for the second sprint race at Misano:

| Position | Driver(s) | Team | Car |
| :— | :— | :— | :— |
| 1 | Charles Weerts / Kelvin van der Linde | WRT | BMW M4 GT3 |
| 2 | Daniel Juncadella / Jules Gounon | Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 3 | Lucas Auer / Maro Engel | WINWARD Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 |
| 4 | Valentino Rossi / Max Hesse | WRT | BMW M4 GT3 |
| 5 | Thierry Vermeulen / Ben Green | Emil Frey Racing | Ferrari 296 GT3 |
| 6 | Thomas Neubauer / Arthur Leclerc | AF Corse | Ferrari 296 GT3 |
| 7 | Dean MacDonald / Marvin Kirchhöfer | Garage 59 | McLaren 720S GT3 |
| 8 | Dylan Pereira / Alex Aka | Tresor Attempto Racing | Audi R8 LMS GT3 |
| 9 | Thomas Fleming / Louis Prette | Garage 59 | McLaren 720S GT3 |
| 10 | Amaury Cordeel / Jordan Pepper | WRT | BMW M4 GT3 |

Following their successful weekend, Weerts and Van der Linde have moved to the top of the Sprint Cup standings. The official championship classification will be updated by the series organizers in the coming days.