Fans soak up the magic of Monza as Mercedes-AMG scores first Endurance Cup win at iconic Italian venue

With an attendance of 40,336, a festival atmosphere in the Fan Zone and an action-packed race on the track, this weekend's GT World Challenge powered by AWS event at Monza exceeded expectations on every level.

It reached its crescendo on Sunday afternoon as three hours of intense competition brought the spectators to their feet. Overall victory went to the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter crew of Matteo Cairoli, Maro Engel and Lucas Auer, giving the German manufacturer its first-ever Endurance Cup win at Monza – and a major boost ahead of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (25–29 June).

Monza has been a near constant on the GT World Challenge schedule since 2011, but never before has this historic Italian venue felt so energised. The weather played its part: clear blue skies and sunshine meant that fans could take full advantage of everything the weekend had to offer.

On the track, it was a Mercedes-AMG masterclass. The #48 Team Mann-Filter machine ran second throughout the first half of the race, Maro Engel keeping a close watch over the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed entry driven by Jules Gounon. Either would have been a worthy winner, but the timing of a mid-race Full-Course Yellow period played into the hands of the #48 crew.

By stopping while the race was neutralised the Mann-Filter car – now driven by Cairoli – was able to pull a big advantage during the second stint. Indeed, when he handed over to Auer for the final reckoning it was simply a case of managing the gap to the finish, giving Mercedes-AMG its maiden Endurance Cup win on Italian soil.

But a dream one-two slipped away. The #17 GetSpeed car had fought back up to second place thanks to a charging stint from Fabian Schiller, only for the front-right wheel to come loose following the final pit stop. "I feel for GetSpeed because they did a great race and it's tough to see them go out for that," said Engel afterwards.

For Cairoli, the win was all the sweeter as it came on home soil and on his 29th birthday: "I couldn't be happier at the moment," said the Italian. "It's my home race, so this is the best gift of the day. We were competitive from the beginning of the weekend and we kept it clean throughout the race. We deserve it."

McLaren finished as runner-up, securing an overall Endurance Cup podium for the first time in seven years thanks to the #59 Garage 59 line-up of Kirchhöfer/Goethe/Loake. Aston Martin made it two British brands in the top three with defending CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa winners Drudi/Sørensen/Thiim in the #7 Comtoyou Racing car.

The #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW took the Gold Cup win and fourth overall following a magnificent drive from 28th on the grid. "The guys did an amazing job; the team was great with the strategy and I'm over the moon," said Al Faisal Al Zubair, who shared the winning car with Ben Tuck and Jens Klingmann.

Silver Cup honours also went to a BMW as Century Motorsport claimed its maiden Endurance Cup triumph. After stints from Jarrod Waberski and Will Moore, Mex Jansen handled the final run to the chequered flag. "This was the most difficult stint I've done in my life!" said the exhausted Dutchman. "My legs are shaking! We didn't get the result we wanted in qualifying, so this is mega revenge. I'm really looking forward to Spa after this!"

Loek Hartog made it two exhausted Dutch drivers after combining with Antares Au to secure the Bronze Cup win for Rutronik Racing, the two-driver crew finishing a fantastic 10th overall "This is my first time at Monza and my first season in GT World Challenge Europe," said a delighted Au. "I have a great team and a great co-driver."

As the sun dipped closer to the Monza grandstands, it was setting on Andrea Bertolini's incredible professional racing career. The legendary Italian was fourth in the Bronze Cup class, narrowly missing the podium but still taking the chequered flag aboard the #52 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari.

Results are HERE