Auer and Engel launch Sprint Cup title defence with Race 2 victory at Brands Hatch

Maro Engel and Lucas Auer threw down the gauntlet to their Sprint Cup rivals in Sunday's second race at Brands Hatch with an assured victory aboard the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

The defending drivers' champions won from pole, though it proved to be another close contest in which the gap at the front never extended beyond two seconds. Indeed, it demonstrated the intense level of competition in Sprint this season, with three different crews on the overall podium in each race and seven brands finishing among the top 10.

Engel made a clean start from pole, while Chris Lulham (#69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari) fought off Sandy Mitchell (#78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini) for second between Druids and Graham Hill Bend. The leaders were running in this order when a full-course yellow period was called on the 20-minute mark to remove the #19 Grasser Racing Lamborghini from the gravel. This was followed by a quick safety car, which delayed the start of the pit window.

When racing resumed, Engel made a perfect restart ahead of Lulham and Mitchell. The top three all stopped at the first possible opportunity, as did the #32 Team WRT BMW which had run sixth during the first stint with Kelvin van der Linde at the wheel. The #48 Mercedes-AMG received a good service, though it was only just enough to stay ahead of the #32 BMW after a sensational stop from the Team WRT crew vaulted Charles Weerts up the order.

This pair emerged at the head of the field, while the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche jumped to third and fourth respectively thanks to quick work from their teams. In contrast, both the #78 Lamborghini and the #69 Ferrari slipped out of podium contention following their impressive opening stints.

With all stops complete, a second full-course yellow and safety car intervention was required to recover the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche, which had become stranded in the gravel at Westfield. Auer produced another clean restart, edging a little way clear of Weerts at the front. They stayed this way until the finish, ensuring that last year's standout crews took the chequered flag separated by 1.3 seconds.

But there is no doubt that this Sprint Cup season will be fiercely contested, with several other strong showings in today's race. The #96 Porsche came home third after a brilliant pit stop and excellent work from Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller, the latter passing Ben Green (#14 Ferrari) during the closing stages. The Emil Frey driver was subsequently passed by the #50 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari.

The #59 Garage 59 McLaren backed up its Race 1 podium with sixth in the second outing, followed by the #78 Lamborghini which was brought to the chequered flag by the impressive Hugo Cook. Eighth overall went to AlManar Racing by WRT, a strong result that also ensured Gold Cup glory. Shared by Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann, the #777 BMW benefitted from a rapid pit stop on its way to the win. The recovering #69 Ferrari was second in class, with the #88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi claiming third.

Boutsen VDS clinched Silver Cup honours with Aurélien Panis and Cesar Gazeau sharing its #10 Mercedes-AMG. The car started from pole and came home 11th overall, ensuring the all-French duo wrapped up the class victory. Audi squads Tresor Attempto Racing and Saintéloc Racing completed the Silver Cup podium.

With the Brands Hatch weekend complete, GT World Challenge moves into its busiest phase of the season.

The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Prologue will take teams to the Belgian Ardennes for testing on 13/14 May, closely followed by the second Sprint Cup event at Zandvoort (16–18 May). Two weeks later, the Endurance Cup resumes with a three-hour race at historic Monza on 30 May–1 June.

Results are HERE