Hitech TGR has welcomed Emily Cotty into its Formula Winter Series line-up for the season finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Cotty, 15, is the 2024 Superone Junior Rotax champion, and already has a number of F4 races under her belt in the UK and the Middle East. Cotty, a New Zealander based in the UK, will replace Nina Gademan in the Hitech line-up.

Having already scored points in the F4 Middle East Championship, Cotty will now look to be equally competitive in her first Formula 4 races in mainland Europe.

Hitech TGR comes into the Barcelona round with four overall race victories in its account, in addition to the seven Female Trophy victories scored by Gademan in nine races. The British team sits second in the teams’ standings.

The season finale of the 2025 Formula Winter Series takes place this coming weekend, 8-9 March. All of the action will be streamed live on the Gedlich Racing YouTube channel, as the third Formula Winter Series champion will be crowned.

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Italian single-seater squad Viola Formula Racing will join the GEDLICH Racing paddock for the Formula Winter Series finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The team’s solo entry will be driven by Ludovico Busso. The 15-year-old will make his debut in car racing, having been a regular frontrunner in the Italian karting scene previously, winning Sicilian Regional Championships as well as the 60 Mini class of the 2020 ACI Karting National Trophy. Having prepared for his single-seater debut throughout 2024, and received backing from the ACI Sicilian Delegation, his debut will be hotly anticipated.

The Viola Formula Racing outfit, run by the eponymous Andrea Viola, is looking to grow its presence on the single-seater racing ladder, having previously been a revered team in Italian Formula Renault 2.0 competition. The squad from San Benigno Canavese won the 2010 Italian FR2.0 championship, and will now compete in the 2025 Italian F4 and Euro 4 categories with Busso and his teammate Emir Tanju.

In 2024, Viola’s distinctive green and yellow cars competed in the F2000 Italian Formula Trophy, winning the FR2.0 Cup standings with Tanju.

The team, along with Ludovico Busso, will be looking to have a competitive outing in the Formula Winter Series at Barcelona. Championships will be on the line for the full-season teams, and all three races from Barcelona will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel.

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Calendar

30 JAN – 2 FEB PORTIMAO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E

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In 2024 at Valencia, three manufacturers split the overall race victories in the GT4 Winter Series. 2025 was a markedly different story, thanks to the efforts of Jay Mo Hartling and Enrico Förderer of SR Motorsport.

Thursday’s running was sorely limited for the championship-leading Elite Motorsport crew, owing to mechanical issues in the McLaren Artura GT4. McKenzy Cresswell and the returning Tom Lebbon were ready to go by race day, thanks to the hard work of the team’s mechanics.

On the sighting lap before the first sprint race, Charlie Hart suffered a gear selection issue in the RAFA Racing by Race Lab McLaren. The car, scheduled to start the race from pole position, was instead pulled behind the barriers.

Once the race began, SR Motorsport’s Jay Mo Hartling immediately took the lead as the only car starting on the front row. The German racer was clinical at the front of the field, extending his gap to over 12 seconds by the end of the race, claiming the team’s second victory of the season.

Tom Lebbon repaid the efforts of his Elite Motorsport crew with a second-place finish. In the early stages of the race, the Brit was under pressure from the Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin of Maximilian Hewitt.

However, Hewitt would begin to lose touch with Lebbon in the latter half of the 30-minute race, and would some come under scrutiny from Alon Gabbay in the W&S Motorsport Porsche. The two eventually collided at turn eight, as Hewitt tried to squeeze Gabbay out of the apex. Hewitt got the worst of the exchange, spinning out and dropping to sixth as a result. Gabbay finished third.

The battle for Cayman Trophy went down to the wire, as Oscar Ryndziewicz (Mertel Motorsport) was being hunted down by SR Motorsport’s Michael Sander, who received a drive-through penalty earlier in the race for contact.

Sander looked to have the measure of Ryndziewicz going into the final turn on the final lap. However, Ryndziewicz – who only debuted in racing at the GT Winter Series season opener at Estoril – pulled off a masterful switchback to win the class.

Race 2:

Enrico Förderer was on pole for the second race of the weekend in the SR Motorsport Mercedes.

He held the lead off the line, while Elite Motorsport’s McKenzy Cresswell slotted into second place. BWT Mucke Motorsport’s Axel Bengtsson briefly held third, but was dispatched by Race Lab’s Callum Davies at turn six on the first lap. Baudouin Detout from Racing Spirit of Leman pulled into the pits after a lap, with a technical problem.

As the race whittled down to the final minutes, the McLarens of McKenzy Cresswell and Callum Davies duelled. After several edge-of-the-seat laps, it was Race Lab’s Davies that secured second place, ahead of Cresswell.

Once again, it was the SR Motorsport Mercedes represented on the top step of the podium; Enrico Förderer won the race by ten seconds.

Race 3:

The pitstop race began with a bold round-the-outside move at turn one from Tom Lebbon. The Elite Motorsport driver moved into the lead, but yielded the place a lap later, as he gained the position off-track.

With the lead back in Polesitter Jay Mo Hartling’s hands, he and Enrico Forderer set about completing the sweep of race victories. Even a safety car couldn’t halt the German pair’s progress. The pause to the action was long-anticipated, after Ravi Ramyead collided with Tim Horrell, and the former driver’s Century Motorsport BMW ended up beeched in the gravel. The safety car was delayed until the conclusion of the pit window.

Once the green flag waved once more, Förderer picked up where he left off previously, building his lead up to 9.6 seconds. Meanwhile, Lebbon and McKenzy Cresswell finished second, ahead of RAFA Racing’s Callum Davies and Charlie Hart.

The title battle intensifies as the final leg of the season approaches:

Next up, the GT4 Winter Series moves on to Motorland Aragon on 27 February-2 March.

SR Motorsport’s immaculate weekend means they now sit second in the standings on 155 points. This brings Jay Mo Hartling and Enrico Forderer are within 30 points of Elite Motorsport’s McKenzy Cresswell, who leads on 184 points.

The Motorland Aragon event in 2024 was a thriller in the GT4 Winter Series, and all indications point to more of the same in less than two weeks!

In the third round of the GT Winter Series, no fewer than 38 cars joined the entry list, creating a busy atmosphere as the teams prepared for the first 30-minute sprint on Saturday. The race began with a rolling start, and pole-sitter Juliano Holzem (Schubert BMW M4 GT3 Evo) was among those swallowed up by a fast-starting Eric Cheung.

While Cheung led into the first corner, this would prove to be short-lived, as his fellow AF Corse Cup 1 entrant Talal Shair suffered a major impact as he crossed the start line. After receiving contact from Mertel Motorsport’s Oscar Ryndziewicz behind, Shair spun into the pit wall, which also collected fellow AF Corse entrant Sven Schömer. All three drivers were okay, but three Ferrari 296 Challenge cars were eliminated from the race, while Talal Shair saw no further action for the rest of the weekend.

The incident in the mid-field necessitated a red flag. Eventually, the race resumed under safety car, before the green flag flew with 22 minutes left on the clock.

Juliano Holzem led the field at the sharp end of the pack, in the yet-to-be-homologated Evo-spec BMW. The Invitational entry was under scrutiny from Comtoyou Racing’s Matisse Lismont, in his Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. While Lismont kept Holzem honest, the German driver was able to manage the race from the front, winning his first race at the wheel of a GT3 BMW.

Lismont finished second, winning the GT3 class, ahead of GT3 Pro class victor Jonas Karklys in third overall in the Engstler Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II. Carrie Schreiner, on her return to Konrad Motorsport, finished fourth overall in the Evo 1 version of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3.

Eric Cheung finished fifth overall in his Ferrari 296 Challenge to win Cup 1 for AF Corse. DC Motorsport’s Ulrik Larsen took home ninth overall to win Cup 4 in his Super Trofeo-spec Lamborghini, while PTT Racing’s Hubert Darmetko secured the Cup 2 victory on his return to the series in the #7 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.

Dramas befell SR Motorsport’s Kenneth Heyer during the race, after a failure at turn one left the Mercedes-AMG GT3 going straight on at turn two. The reigning champion hoped for better fortunes on Sunday.

Race 2:

The second sprint race came on Sunday morning. Luca Engstler geared up to race for the first time since sustaining injuries at Macau in November, and he would start the race from pole in the Engstler Motorsport Lamborghini. Moritz Wiskirchen, in the SR Motorsport Mercedes driven by Heyer the previous day, started second.

For Wiskirchen, the start would prove to be the end of the race. Rafael Suzuki, from third on the grid, looked to claim the inside line for second place at the apex of turn one, but the Comtoyou Aston Martin collided with the Mercedes. Both cars were sent into a spin, and Suzuki’s Aston Martin was left stranded at the exit of the corner. Unfortunately, Suzuki’s car would be collected by Alberto Duran (AF Corse Ferrari) and Plusline Racing Team’s Joachim Bölting.

All four parties were out of the race, as well as Wileco Motorsport’s Calle Bergman, who was tagged into the gravel as the field tried to take evasive action.

Luca Engstler continued to lead as the safety car was deployed, and upon the resumption of the race, he set about distancing himself from the field. With Cup 1 cars directly behind Engstler, fellow GT3 drivers including Sandro Holzem had to work hard to try and move forward, before attempting to catch the leader.

By the time Holzem had moved into second, Engstler had already built an unassailable lead of over ten seconds. On his return to the cockpit, Engstler won the race, which finished under safety car. Holzem finished second, ahead of the Cup 1-winning Araújo Competição Ferrari of Gonçalo Araújo.

Seweryn Mazur won the Cup 4 class for GT3 Poland, while Ryan James secured the Cup 3 category, just as he had during race one in his Greystone GT McLaren Artura Trophy. The Cup 2 battle was a show-stopper, as Hubert Darmetko and Mariusz Górecki (Forch Racing by Atlas Ward) fought throughout the race. Darmetko ultimately came out on top for PTT Racing, finding his way past Górecki just prior to a spin for Aleksander Beatovic’s Lamborghini, which triggered the race-ending safety car.

Race 3:

For the third and final race, Jonas Karklys started the Engstler Lamborghini from pole position. He held his place through the opening corners, and quickly built a small lead while Juliano Holzem focused his attentions on keeping Kobe Pauwels (Comtoyou Aston Martin) in third place.

Karklys pitted from the lead in the early stages of the ten-minute mandatory pitstop window, while Holzem was one of the last to peel-in. He handed the Schubert BMW over to twin brother Sandro, who exited the pits in the lead. Engstler was in second place, and with 20 minutes remaining, he was just under four seconds behind Holzem.

Traffic would play its part in bringing the pair together with seven and a half minutes left on the clock. At turn one, Engstler carried more speed than Holzem, allowing him run towards turn two, where Holzem ran slightly wide. After running side-by-side through turn three, Engstler yielded at the next apex, setting up Holzem for an overtake at turn five.

Now at the front, Engstler had to stave off pressure from Holzem. However, in the lapped traffic, a gap formed. Engstler Motorsport’s Ferrari 296 Challenge, driven by James Owen, seemingly made an effort to keep the BMW behind him, allowing Luca Engstler to build a cushion and claim the overall and GT3 Pro class victory for he and Jonas Karklys. The Holzem family BMW took second overall, ahead of GT3 winners Kobe Pauwels and Matisse Lismont of Comtoyou Racing.

John Dhillon secured Cup 1 honours, while Przemsyslaw Bienkowski and Mateusz Lisowski won the Cup 2 class for PTT. The Cup 5 category for older Ferrari Challenge machinery provided plentiful thrills in the third race, with victory going to the AF Corse Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo of Darren Howell and Sean Doyle.

Maciel and Aguas lead the championship heading to Motorland Aragon

Cup 1 entrants Cristiano Maciel and Rui Aguas lead the GT Winter Series points for AF Corse, with a score of 134. In second place, on 114 points, is the defending champions’ car; SR Motorsport’s Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Kenneth Heyer and Moritz Wiskirchen. Cup 2 points leaders Calle Bergman and Manz Thalin of Wileco Motorsport sit third in the points on 112.

US Racing’s Gabriel Gomez has furthered his advantage in the 2025 Formula Winter Series points standings at Valencia. The Brazilian racer’s consistency continues to be highlighted, as he is yet to finish off the podium in the 2025 season.

Gomez started on pole position for the first race, and moved into an early lead before the first of several Safety Car periods kicked in on lap two. David Walther (Maffi Racing) found the wall at turn four, and Payton Westcott (Van Amersfoort Racing) lost her nosecone.

There were two further Safety Car periods during the race, and each time, Gomez would have to manage the threat from behind, as Hitech’s Leo Robinson sat on his gearbox. Behind them, Kabir Anurag and Maxim Rehm were duelling, in an all-US Racing battle for third which ultimately fell in favour of Rehm.

Leo Robinson could only achieve second – his third visit to the runners-up podium step in four races – but still scored valuable points. Gomez, meanwhile, secured his third win of the season.

Dante Vinci (Van Amersfoort) was displaying a significant uptick in form during testing for the event, and that would translate to sixth overall in the race, as well as the Rookie Trophy victory. Nina Gademan won the Female Trophy for Hitech, after Campos’ Chloe Chambers collided with Thomas Bearman and Artem Severiukhin on the final lap.

After the chequered flag, a disqualification from race one and both qualifying sessions was handed down to Hitech’s Leo Robinson, for a breach of the technical regulations. However, this would be appealed, and the Algerian racer retained his original starting positions for Sunday.

Race 2:

As race two began, Gabriel Gomez had a poor launch from pole position, instantly handing the lead to Leo Robinson. Maxim Rehm also moved through into second, while Hitech’s Fionn McLaughlin also passed the polesitter, dropping Gomez to fourth.

Further back, Maffi Racing’s Teo Borenstein ended up in the gravel, leading to the first safety car deployment of the race.

As the race resumed, Gomez was on the offensive against Fionn McLaughlin at turn two, but the Irishman held his position. Meanwhile, Maxim Rehm was able to carry momentum through turns four and five, and a great exit from turn six allowed Rehm to power past Robinson for the race lead.

Further back, Kabir Anurag – who started tenth – was on a mission to drive through the field. He made an uncompromising move on his teammate Edu Robinson for sixth place at turn two, and followed it up with a lunge on Dante Vinci for fifth at the final corner.

Anurag would stay in that position, but would end up inheriting fourth place as Fionn Robinson was judged to have jumped the start, and received a five-second penalty.

This also promoted Gabriel Gomez to third place, while Leo Robinson had to once again settle for second place.

Maxim Rehm was a race winner for the first time in the Formula Winter Series; a statement result after a disqualification from the Portimao weekend two weekends prior. Dante Vinci inherited the Rookie Trophy win as a result of McLaughlin’s penalty, while Nina Gademan won the women’s trophy in tenth place.

Race 3:

The third race of the weekend started with a gap on the second row, as Edu Robinson started the race from pitlane.

On the front row, Leo Robinson once again had a better start than Gabriel Gomez, running alongside the polesitter through the first corner, before moving the #6 Hitech machine into the lead at turn two.

Robinson would face the challenge of multiple safety car restarts during the race, but stayed clear of Gomez throughout the race to finally secure his first victory of the season. Second place for Gomez ensured that his streak of podium finishes remains intact, while Maximilian Popov rounded out the top three for Van Amersfoort Racing.

Kabir Anurag finished fourth ahead of Dante Vinci, who completed his clean sweep of victories in the Rookie Trophy at Valencia. Chloe Chambers finished 13th overall, winning the Female Trophy just ahead of Nina Gademan.

Half-distance in the 2025 season, and a large question mark looms

As of this writing the biggest question mark of all coming away from the Circuit Ricardo Tormo is the status of Leo Robinson. The Hitech TGR appeal against his race one and qualifying disqualification is still ongoing. If it were to be unsuccessful – given his car was judged to be illegal for qualifying as well as the race – the punishment would likely also extend to race two and three also. Originally, upon his disqualification from Saturday’s action, he would have started both Sunday races from the back of the pack. Instead, he started the races from his original grid position in second place.

Should the appeal be successful, Robinson will have 98 points heading into the third round at Aragon. Gabriel Gomez leads the standings on 132 points, meaning a championship lead gain of just one point across the Valencia weekend. His championship lead will grow exponentially if Robinson’s appeal is unsuccessful, as Van Amersfoort’s Maximilian Popov sits third on 52 points.

Engstler Motorsport is set to return to the GT Winter Series for the first time since the 2022/2023 season, entering a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II for Luca Engstler and Jonas Karklys at Valencia.

The Wiggensbach-based team’s history covers the highest levels of touring car and GT racing competition, winning the Independent Teams’ championship in the 2011 World Touring Car Championship, four ADAC TCR Germany titles, and the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup title within the Gold Cup class.

Luca Engstler, 24, is the son of team founder and touring car stalwart Franz. His early successes came in touring car racing, where he secured no fewer than four TCR titles across the category’s Middle Eastern, Asian, Malaysian and German championships.

In 2022, he switched focus to GT racing. 2024 marked his most successful year since the switch, securing a pair of DTM victories, and forming part of Engstler Motorsport’s 2024 GT World Challenge Sprint Gold Cup-winning line-up. His appearance at Valencia marks his first race since a crash at Macau in November, where the German sustained multiple injuries.

Engstler’s GT Winter Series co-driver is a former rival from the ADAC TCR Germany, Jonas Karklys. The 35-year-old Lithuanian began circuit racing in the late 2010s, while he and his father are also familiar to the rallying scene in their home country. After racing in Renault Clio Cup, he moved into TCR Germany in 2021, winning a race on his way to sixth in the standings.

The 2022 season saw Karklys finish fourth in TCR Germany, before moving on to ADAC GT Masters. He concluded 2024 by competing in the FIA Motorsport Games at Valencia, bringing his Lithuanian-flagged Juta Racing Audi home in fifth place. The pairing of Juta Racing and Karklys also secured two top-five finishes at the 2024 GT Winter Series Valencia event.

Now paired with Engstler Motorsport and Luca Engstler, Karklys will be looking for his first GT Winter Series podiums as the perfect start to 2025. Since the line-up features Engstler, a Gold-rated driver, the team will be entered into the GT3 Pro class.

The third round of the GT Winter Series promises to be a thrilling battle, with numerous leading drivers and teams joining the grid at Valencia. All three races will be streamed live, while spectator access to the venue is free.

Calendar

16 JAN – 19 JAN ESTORIL /P
23 JAN – 26 JAN PORTIMÃO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E

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Last year’s gallery

Reparto Corse RAM will enter the GT Winter Series at Valencia, adding a pair of Ferrari 296 Challenge cars to the highly-competitive Cup 1 class.

The team based in Altavilla Vincentina, Italy, has confirmed that Shintaro Akatsu will once again race with the team in GT Winter Series. The Japanese racer made his debut in Ferrari Challenge in 2024, joining Reparto Corse. He achieved a podium finish at Paul Ricard within the Coppa Shell AM class.

Akatsu has previously raced in Porsches, within the Creventic 24H Series and Porsche Carrera Cup Italia.

The second car at Valencia will be driven by motorsport household Germana Tognella and her husband Zois Skrimpas. Tognella has previously raced in Ferrari Challenge, racing within Ferrari Challenge Europe’s Copa Shell AM class in 2021. In that same class, husband Zois is the reigning champion.

The Reparto Corse team has raced in Ferrari Challenge throughout the history of the category, becoming the first-ever winners in 1993. The team has also had success in the Italian GT Championship, winning the GT Light class in 2019.

A huge Cup 1 entry will be a thrilling part of the third GT Winter Series event of 2025, taking place from 13-16 February at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. All of the action will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, and spectator access will be free!

Calendar

16 JAN – 19 JAN ESTORIL /P
23 JAN – 26 JAN PORTIMÃO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E

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Last year’s gallery

Konrad Motorsport has declared its entry into the Spanish leg of the 2025 GT Winter Series, joining the grid with a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo I at Valencia, Aragon and Barcelona.

The famed sportscar racing team – led by Austrian legend Franz Konrad – will welcome Carrie Schreiner into the fold, as she returns to GEDLICH Racing’s GT category alongside defending Prototype Winter Series champion Danny Soufi. Schreiner competed in the 2024 Formula Winter Series, and has also previously raced in the GT Winter Series.

Elsewhere, Schreiner has competed in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, ADAC GT Masters and the first two seasons of F1 Academy. After representing Sauber during the 2024 F1 Academy season, Schreiner remains with the famed Swiss team as a brand ambassador in 2025.

Soufi has been partnered with Konrad since 2022, when he moved to Europe to pursue the dream of sportscar racing. The driver moved across the Atlantic to work and race with Konrad Motorsport, and has been a regular fixture of the team’s line-up in LMP3 and GT competition. The 2024 Prototype Cup Germany vice-champion has regularly driven Konrad’s GT3 Lamborghini at the Nordschleife, in NLS and the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

A deluxe grid is expected as the GT Winter Series returns to Valencia on 13-16 February. Last year, 10,000 spectators witnessed the GEDLICH Racing Winter Series spectacle at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The event is free to attend once again in 2025, and will also be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel.

Calendar

16 JAN – 19 JAN ESTORIL /P
23 JAN – 26 JAN PORTIMÃO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E

More info on GTWS

Last year’s gallery

Campos Racing will compete in the Formula Winter Series with an exciting line-up showcasing upcoming female racing talent.

Alisha Palmowski and Rafaela Ferreira will take the start this weekend at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, to kick off a three-round campaign for Campos. Chloe Chambers will join the team at Valencia, racing alongside Palmowski. Chambers is set to remain in the line-up for Motorland Aragon, where Ferreira will once again compete.

Alisha Palmowski, 18, achieved early karting success in the UK-based Daniel Ricciardo Series, before moving on to cars within the 2022 Ginetta Junior Championship. After a second season in Ginettas, finishing fifth in the points, Palmowski moved into single seaters via the 2024 GB4 Championship. The British racer took three victories during the season, claiming vice-champion status. She ran as an F1 Academy wildcard entry in Qatar, finishing fifth in the first race, while the second was cancelled.

Brazilian hopeful Rafaela Ferreira, 19, moved into car racing during the 2023 F4 Brazilian Championship. After scoring a podium in her first season, Ferriera scored three race victories in 2024, along with seven additional podium finishes. She finished fourth in the standings, in a championship that utilises the same Tatuus T-421 chassis, Abarth 1.4-litre powertrain and Pirelli tyres as Formula Winter Series.

Chloe Chambers, 20, will make her debut in Formula Winter Series with significant single-seater experience to draw upon. After a season competing across various F4 series in 2021, Chambers was a part of the 2022 W Series. During 2023, the American took a race victory in Formula Regional Oceania, while also successfully competing in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. She joined the 2024 F1 Academy season, and stood on the top step at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ultimately finishing sixth in the standings.

Campos Racing finished third in the 2024 Formula Winter Series, and fielded vice-champion Andres Cardenas.

All three drivers in the team’s 2025 Formula Winter Series line-up are set to compete in Campos-run cars during the upcoming F1 Academy season. Palmowski is set to wear the colours of Red Bull Racing, Ferreira will represent the Racing Bulls team, and Chambers will receive backing from both Red Bull and its 2026 Formula One powertrain partner Ford.

The strong line-up from Campos is another thrilling addition to a competitive 2025 Formula Winter Series grid, with a capacity field set to compete at the season-opener. Every race of the season will be broadcast live on the Winter Series YouTube channel, starting with all of the action from Portimão this coming weekend.

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Calendar

30 JAN – 2 FEB PORTIMAO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E

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Last year’s gallery

Konrad Motorsport and Danny Soufi have continued their unbroken run of victories in the 2025 Prototype Winter Series.

Soufi started the first 50-minute race from pole position, and proceeded to build a gap over Phillip Lindberg in the High Class Racing Ligier. Behind the two silver-rated drivers, a battle among the bronzes took place, as Quentin Joseph (CLX Motorsport Ligier) was pursued by Jon Brownson’s DKR Engineering Duqueine, and Christian Gisy’s Racing Spirit of Leman Ligier. Brownson dove to the inside at the first corner on lap four, successfully moving up to third place. Joseph’s momentum on the run to turn three was compromised, and Gisy tried to sneak by too. However, Joseph turned across the front end of the Racing Spirit of Leman entry, sending the CLX Ligier into a spin.

Gisy began closing in on Brownson, but was forced to relinquish fourth place back to Joseph via a drive-through penalty for the collision.

Owing to the pitstop handicap system, Soufi’s pitstop was the better of 30 seconds slower than the line-ups featuring bronze drivers. However, he built enough of a gap to continue as the race leader regardless.

Soufi would ultimately win the race by 17 seconds, ahead of the DKR Engineering Duqueine, which was taken over by Laurents Hoerr. CLX Motorsport’s David Droux finished third after taking over the Ligier from Qunetin Joseph.

Phillip Lindberg fell to fourth after the pit window, while the father-son duo of Christian and Vincent Gisy finished fifth. The Racing Experience Duqueine did not finish, after Wolfgang Payr began to slow with a power steering issue.

Sunday:

On the installation lap for Sunday’s race, Racing Experience wheeled out its spare chassis for Payr’s co-driver Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen. However, as it arrived on the pit straight, the car began smoking heavily. The connection for the water pipes had failed on the car, which meant the Duqueine dumped its water around the circuit on the way to the grid. The team brought the car back to the pitlane, and topped it up.

The race began without the Racing Experience Duqueine, and polesitter Laurents Hoerr led off the line. Jakobsen would enter the race as the other drivers passed the first sector split, but immediately pulled up as the car continued to smoke. The safety car was scrambled, however, the temperature gauge in Jakobsen’s car dropped to normal levels, and the team instructed him to drive on.

Therefore, the race restarted with the #12 car at the back of the field as scheduled.

At the front, Hoerr continued to lead once the field was released from the safety car.

During the first stint of the race, Danny Soufi – who started second – kept Hoerr in his sights, before the pit window began, and Soufi opted to pit early. Theoretically, Hoerr’s co-driver Jon Brownson should have returned to the track in the lead. However, the car failed to restart after the driver change, and Brownson would ultimately re-join the race a lap down after a push start from the DKR team.

This left Quentin Joseph in the lead in his CLX Motorsport Ligier, and Racing Experience’s Wolfgang Payr second after a strong stint from Jakobsen.

Payr would quickly be dispatched by Soufi, while Joseph tried to focus on setting the fastest laps he could to maintain his lead. However, with Soufi taking four seconds a lap out of the gap, the American was soon challenging Joseph for position.

However, as the pair raced side-by-side down the main straight, double yellow flags waved at turn one. Phillip Lindberg had spun, and Soufi lifted off to allow Joseph to lead them by the stalled High Class Racing Ligier.

Just after the leaders passed Lindberg, the Full Course Yellow was deployed. This was lifted a lap later at the first turn, and Soufi quickly managed to pass Joseph around the outside at turn four.

Over the ten minutes that remained, Soufi would proceed to build a lead of 38 seconds over Joseph, with the pair finishing first and second respectively. Chrisian and Vincent Gisy rounded out the podium, after Vincent dispatched Wolfgang Payr with a half-dozen minutes left on the clock.

Half-distance in the season: Can Soufi be beaten?

With Danny Soufi’s 100 per cent record retained, the Konrad Motorsport driver currently sits on 100 points in the championship standings. 34 points behind, CLX Motorsport’s Quentin Joseph and David Droux are second in the standings on 66 points, while DKR Engineering’s Jon Brownson and Laurents Hoerr sit third on 56.

The Prototype Winter Series is now into it’s mid-season break, while the Asian Le Mans Series concludes in the Middle East.

Soufi – the 2024 PTWS champion – is in a strong position to retain his title in 2025, but nothing is guaranteed with four races left to go. His 100 per cent winning record is likely to come under scrutiny, as additional teams are expected to join the series for the final two rounds of the season, starting at Motorland Aragon from 27 February – 2 March.

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Calendar

16 JAN – 19 JAN ESTORIL /P
23 JAN – 26 JAN PORTIMAO /P
30 JAN – 02 FEB 6h of PORTIMÃO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E
13 MAR – 16 MAR 6h of BARCELONA /E

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