• Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER clinches the teams' title at the finale in Spain
• Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers Lucas Auer and Maro Engel win the drivers' championship
• Boutsen VDS takes the first Pro victory with the Mercedes-AMG GT3

The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup season ended on a high for Mercedes-AMG this weekend. The performance and sports car brand celebrated two title successes at the showdown of the prestigious racing series at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The fifth and final race weekend in the Sprint Cup took place in changeable weather conditions. In Saturday's turbulent race, which was held behind the safety car until five minutes before the end due to heavy rain, Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER with Lucas Auer (AUT) and Maro Engel (GER) defied the odds to finish third. After qualifying on Sunday had to be postponed following fog, the duo did everything right again in the second race in bright sunshine with fourth place, turning the tide in the title fight. The team travelled to Spain in second place overall in the team and driver standings and ultimately became champions in both classifications. The duo scored 116.5 points in the drivers' championship and 120 points in the teams' classification. The perfect end to the season for Mercedes-AMG was rounded off by a victory for Boutsen VDS in Saturday's race. Jules Gounon (AND) and Maximilian Götz (GER) secured the Belgian team's first triumph with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Sprint Cup in their debut season. The team completed the fastest mandatory pit stop of the entire field on Sunday with a time of 47.5 seconds. 

Mercedes-AMG thus crowned a successful 2024 season in the prestigious sprint series of the SRO Motorsports Group. In the ten races held, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 claimed four victories, eleven podiums, and two pole positions and fastest race laps each. In addition, the AMG Customer Racing Teams achieved nine class podiums in the Silver Cup, including three class victories. 

For Maro Engel and Lucas Auer, winning the drivers' championship means their first title in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. Engel was already runner-up in 2019 and 2021, while Auer competed in the series for the first time in his career this season. The duo in the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished eight races on the podium and achieved three victories. In addition, the two Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers took one pole position and one fastest race lap. For Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER, the team championship is also their first in the Sprint Cup. Boutsen VDS showed a steep form curve in its first year with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, scoring three podiums including the victory in Barcelona with Jules Gounon and Maximilian Götz. In the Silver Cup, César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis (both FRA) took second place in the standings with the team - just five points behind the class champion. They scored three class wins, two of them in Barcelona, as well as four class podiums.
 

>> Results GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Barcelona
>> Championship standings GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

Mercedes-AMG statistics in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
First overall championship teams in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup since 2019
First overall championship drivers in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup since 2018
Eighth driver and sixth team championship in the Sprint Cup (participation since 2013)
Three wins for Auer/Engel: Brands Hatch Race 2, Hockenheim Race 1, Magny-Cours Race 2
Two pole positions: Lucas Auer - Brands Hatch Race 2; Jules Gounon - Barcelona Race 1
Silver Cup drivers' standings Gazeau/Panis: 2nd place (113.5 points)
Silver Cup teams‘ standings Boutsen VDS: 2nd place (113.5 points)

"We had reorganised ourselves for the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup this season with Winward Racing and Boutsen VDS, with the aim of bringing the title back to Affalterbach. Winning the driver and team championships and seeing the first victory for Boutsen VDS with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 makes me incredibly proud. Both teams and the driver line-ups put in consistently strong performances throughout the year, showed nerves of steel right up to the finale and were ultimately rewarded for this. The championships and the numerous individual successes are proof that we made the right decisions in the strategic direction of our programme in the Sprint Cup. Congratulations to everyone involved in this fantastic success."
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport

"To become champion in your first year is something very special. The whole season was a dream. When you compete in a championship for the first time, there are so many little things that you have to pay constant attention to. We had everything under control as a team and I'm very proud of that. The last stint was pretty intense again, because the two drivers in front of me were battling and I didn't want to take any risks. I was faster, but fortunately fourth place was enough for the championship and I didn't have to attack."
Lucas Auer, Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER #48

"I needed a few attempts in the Sprint Cup and was often close to the title. We simply had a great team this year. I would like to thank everyone at Mercedes-AMG for their great support this season, as well as the entire crew of Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER and especially Luggi. We formed a strong duo as team-mates, pushed each other from the very first race weekend and had an incredible season. To finally win this championship makes me really happy. We took our chance at the finale, remained fully focussed at all times and didn't let the chaos in the first race distract us."
Maro Engel, Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER #48

"The win in Saturday's race and thus the first Pro victory for Boutsen VDS made me very happy for the team. The conditions were extremely difficult and there was a bit of luck involved, but in the end we made the difference with our experience and strategy. We have continuously improved throughout the season and have shown with this success that the package is right and the potential is absolutely there."
Maximilian Götz, Boutsen VDS #9

"We had a perfect weekend with two victories in the Silver Cup. On the other hand, it's a bit frustrating to finish second in the class so close behind the first-placed drivers. I've learnt a lot this year and improved a lot as a driver. I'm really happy with that and that's what I'll take away from the season. It was also a great performance for Boutsen VDS and I'm sure that next season will be even more successful."
César Gazeau, Boutsen VDS #10