W&S Motorsport and Nova Racing completed a promising opening weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard to kick off the 2026 GT4 European Series. With four cars on the grid, the team immediately made its presence felt across all classes. Paul Ricard is not a traditional Porsche circuit – and in qualifying, the W&S crews were unable to extract the full potential from their package. However, the races told a different story: multiple podium finishes, important championship points and proof that the team is competitive in every class – a solid foundation for the season ahead.
Weekend Overview
Qualifying did not go entirely to plan, with the team leaving some time on the table. But from the very first race, the true potential of the line-up was on full display.
Race 1
The standout performance in Race 1 came from #32 with Joachim Bölting and Hendrik Still, who crossed the line in second place in the PRO/AM class and 14th overall. The #27 of Daniel Nilsson and Edvin Hellsten secured fourth in the PRO/AM class and finished 18th overall. Daniel Blickle and Moritz Berrenberg – stepping in for Max Kronberg – brought the #30 home in second in the AM class, finishing 24th overall. The PRO/AM Porsche #31 of Tim Horrell and Alon Gabbay concluded Race 1 in seventh in class and 23rd overall.
Race 2
The team stepped up its performance impressively in Race 2. The #27 of Nilsson and Hellsten climbed to third in the PRO/AM class and crossed the line 14th overall – a strong result. The #32 of Bölting and Still took fourth in the PRO/AM class and finished 20th overall. Once again impressive was the AM Porsche #30 with Blickle and Berrenberg, who claimed second in class for the second time and finished 27th overall. The #31 of Horrell and Gabbay deserved far more – the duo had taken the lead and was firmly on course for victory when a controversial penalty cost them first place, dropping the pair to tenth in class and 31st overall.
Results Overview
| Car | Drivers | Class | R1 | R2 |
| #27 | Nilsson / Hellsten | PRO/AM | Class P4 / Overall P18 | Class P3 / Overall P14 |
| #30 | Blickle / Berrenberg | AM | Class P2 / Overall P24 | Class P2 / Overall P27 |
| #31 | Horrell / Gabbay | PRO/AM | Class P7 / Overall P23 | Class P10 / Overall P31 |
| #32 | Bölting / Still | PRO/AM | Class P2 / Overall P14 | Class P4 / Overall P20 |
Voices from the Weekend
Tim Horrell (#31): “The pace was good, but in the end we didn’t get the result we were hoping for. As a team we lose together and win together – now we look ahead to Monza.”
Daniel Blickle (#30): “Honestly, I wouldn’t have expected this at the start of the weekend. Two second-place finishes in the AM class – one of them alongside Moritz. For the title defence mission, that’s not a bad starting point.”
Moritz Berrenberg (#30), making his debut alongside Daniel Blickle this weekend: “Qualifying didn’t go as well as we’d hoped, but in the race we fought our way forward well. It was my first time at Paul Ricard – I take a lot away from this weekend.”
Nova Racing with Hellsten and Nilsson (#27): “We had a lot of fun and were competitive right from the start. We learned a great deal from Race 1 and in Race 2 we were on the podium. All in all, a great start to the season.”
Team Principal Daniel Schellhaas: “Paul Ricard is not an easy circuit for us, but the team performed very well in the races. Multiple podiums, important points across all classes and the certainty that the pace is there – that gives us confidence. The penalty for #31 is obviously frustrating, but we look ahead. Monza awaits.”
Next Round: Autodromo Nazionale Monza – 29–31 May
