KENT, UK – The hills of Kent echoed with the roar of flat-six engines this Saturday as Lionspeed GP delivered a masterclass in qualifying for the opening round of the 2026 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup. In a display of pure technical synergy and driver confidence, the team’s #80 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) Evo swept both qualifying sessions, leaving the rest of the world-class field chasing shadows.
The feat—achieving two outright poles in a single weekend—is a rarity in the hyper-competitive Sprint Cup, and it marks a dream debut for Lionspeed’s expanded Pro-class efforts this season.
Q1: Ricardo Feller’s Clinical Precision
The opening 10-minute session saw Ricardo Feller take the wheel for the first Qualifying stint. On a track known for its punishing nature and lack of runoff, Feller demonstrated why he is considered one of the premier GT3 drivers in the world.
After a single warm-up lap to bring his Pirelli tires into the optimum window, Feller unleashed a blistering 1:22.722. The lap was a clinic in using the Brands Hatch “curb-hopping” technique through the technical middle sector. Despite a late charge from Arthur Leclerc in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, Feller’s time remained untouchable by a margin of 0.249s.
“The car was on rails today,” Feller remarked in the paddock. “At Brands Hatch, track position is everything because the GP loop is so narrow. Starting from P1 for Race 1 takes a huge weight off our shoulders, but we know the Ferraris have great long-run pace.”
Q2: Bastian Buus Completes the Clean Sweep
If Feller’s performance was clinical, Bastian Buus’s follow-up in Q2 was explosive. As the track temperature rose slightly, the Danish Porsche Junior found even more time in the #80 machine.
Buus decimated the field with a 1:22.470, the fastest lap recorded across the entire weekend thus far. He fended off a spirited local challenge from Chris Lulham, driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry, who fell short of the pole by just 0.102s.
The result is significant not just for the team, but for Porsche, which has historically struggled to find the ultimate one-lap pace at the undulating Brands Hatch circuit compared to the mid-engine Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
Class Standouts:
- Silver Cup: Matisse Lismont caused a stir in Q1, putting the #30 WRT BMW M4 GT3 third overall and taking the Silver pole.
- Gold Cup: Gilles Magnus showed his veteran experience in Q2, securing the class pole for Boutsen VDS and placing his Porsche P5 on the overall grid for Race 2.
- Bronze Cup: Jonathan Hui (#93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari) emerged as the quickest of the Bronze contenders in a session interrupted by a brief yellow flag.
RESULTS: Qualifying 1/Qualifying 2
Weekend Schedule (BST)
- Race 1: Sunday, 11:15 – 12:15
- Race 2: Sunday, 15:45 – 16:45