W&S Motorsport concluded the GT4 European Series season finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with great success. Max Kronberg and Daniel Blickle secured the AM championship early and crowned their title with a double victory over the weekend. For Max Kronberg, it marks his second consecutive GT4 European Series title, having won the Pro-Am class in 2024.
With this achievement, W&S Motorsport continues its impressive track record in the GT4 European Series: Following the AM title in 2022 and the Pro-Am title in 2024, the team has now become champions three times in four contested seasons – an exceptional performance at the international level.
Race 1: Early Championship and Guest Driver Podium
Kronberg and Blickle sealed the title in the first race on Saturday. Starting from second position in the AM class, they fought their way forward and secured the AM class victory despite an incident with a competitor. With this fifth season win, the championship was decided one race early – a perfect reward for an impressive season.
Guest drivers Tim Horrell and Ismaeel Ellahi wrote a special story in the #31 Porsche. After their season in the Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland, both received the opportunity to prove themselves on the international stage – and delivered immediately. Starting from sixth position in the AM class, they fought their way to second place and celebrated a strong podium finish in their GT4 European Series debut.
The first race proved disappointing for the #32 duo of Hendrik Still and Joachim Bölting. After a subdued qualifying in 13th position in the Pro-Am class, Still fought his way forward in the race before a technical problem during the pit stop undid all progress. The car wouldn’t restart after the stop, and despite a clean stint from Joachim Bölting, they could only manage 12th place in the Pro-Am class.
The Nova Racing Team, supported by W&S Motorsport, with Edvin Hellsten and Daniel Nilsson in the #2 Porsche also experienced a difficult first race. Starting from pole position in the Pro-Am class, Hellsten was hit by a competitor in Turn 3 and spun. Despite good pace, they finished 10th in Pro-Am.
Race 2: Perfect Finish for the Champions
On Sunday, the newly crowned AM champions Kronberg and Blickle made a statement and drove confidently to their sixth season victory. Daniel Blickle was thrilled: “We struggled at the beginning of the weekend in free practice, but then qualifying went great! The races went really well. We were lucky to bring the car home without damage and finished the season pretty much perfectly. I’m super happy – first season and champion straight away, that was the plan!”
The second race proved significantly more challenging for Tim Horrell and Ismaeel Ellahi. After their podium success on Saturday, they fought their way to the finish from third position in the AM class and finished eighth. Despite the challenges, Ismaeel Ellahi drew a positive conclusion: “It was the perfect example of a debut – really high highs on the podium and really low lows. We learned more this weekend than all year. We felt all sides of motorsport – the winning and the losing. Now we’re looking forward to next year. We know we have the pace. Yes, there’s still a gap to close, but it’s much smaller than at the beginning of the year. I’m very excited for next year and very proud to bring a trophy home.”
The weekend ended bitterly for Hendrik Still and Joachim Bölting. After the technical problem on Saturday, they hoped for a comeback in the second race, but Bölting was hit by a competitor in the very first corner. The race was over after 200 meters, as were their hopes for the Pro-Am title. “We had a 60-point lead at mid-season and arrived at Barcelona with a seven-point deficit. We had the pace to attack, but I messed up qualifying for Race 1 with track limits. Then the technical problem on Saturday and today the accident in Turn 1 – after 200 meters, the hopes were buried,” Still summarized disappointedly.
The Nova Racing Team showed an impressive comeback in the second race. From 13th position in the Pro-Am class, Hellsten and Nilsson fought their way up to fourth place – just 0.2 seconds short of a podium finish. “Daniel started from 43rd position, and we picked up the pace really well, made many overtakes. Being just 0.2 seconds away from the podium was really unlucky. But the pace was really good, and the car felt great,” Hellsten explained.
Team Principal Daniel Schellhaas Takes Stock
“The Barcelona weekend was great for us. We came, grabbed one title, and wanted to grab the Pro-Am title as well. We finished second in Pro-Am now, which is also a very, very good result. We shouldn’t forget how competitive it is here. And winning the title in the AM class is incredible – with two victories, super job by Daniel and Max. I just want to say thank you to all sponsors, partners, and the team, which did a fantastic job here and always gives everything,” team principal Daniel Schellhaas summarized.
