Jules Gounon, driver of the Mercedes AMG GT3 with the Team Verstappen Racing, has once again demonstrated his supremacy in the first qualifying session of the GT World Challenge Europe at Magny-Cours. The Frenchman set an unbeatable time of 1’36″023, consolidating his pole position after his recent triumph in Misano.
The qualifying session was divided into two groups, with the first consisting of drivers from the Pro and Gold Cup categories, while the second hosted teams from Silver and Bronze. Gounon quickly established his pace, finishing the first part 388 milliseconds faster than Max Hesse of the BMW M4 GT3 from Team WRT, which competes with Valentino Rossi, and over four tenths ahead of Lucas Auer’s Mercedes.
After his blazing lap, Gounon eagerly awaited the result from the second group, fearing that drivers from the Bronze Cup could surpass his time. Finally, his teammate Kiern Jewiss came close with a time of 1’36″189, which earned him pole position in the Bronze Cup, completing a front row dominated by 2 Seas Motorsport.
The second row was occupied by Hesse and Auer, while Fabian Schiller added a third Mercedes among the top five with his car from the GetSpeed Team Dubai. The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 from Comtoyou Racing rounded out the classification with Kobe Pauwels ahead of Oliver Söderström, the latter qualifying with the best time in the Silver Cup.
Regarding the Gold Cup, the best time was set by Gilles Magnus with the Porsche 911 GT3 from Boutsen VDS, occupying twelfth position overall. Behind him were the Ferrari of AF Corse driven by Tommaso Mosca and Thomas Fleming with a McLaren 720S GT3.
The session was marked by numerous times canceled for exceeding track limits, particularly the case of Amaury Cordeel, who could not register a valid time with his BMW and will have to start from the back of the grid. The official Porsches also faced difficulties, finishing in positions 21 and 22 after the loss of their best times.
Another disappointing result was that of Charles Weerts, championship leader, who with an error in his decisive lap, could only manage the seventeenth fastest time. This performance could complicate his defense of the lead, as his closest rivals will start from the second row.
The session on Saturday, August 1, 2026, left the following classification order in the first qualifying session:
- 1 – Jules Gounon (Mercedes AMG) – Verstappen – 1’36″023
- 2 – Kiern Jewiss (Mercedes AMG) – 2 Seas – 1’36″189
- 3 – Max Hesse (BMW M4) – WRT – 1’36″411
- 4 – Lucas Auer (Mercedes AMG) – Winward – 1’36″433
- 5 – Fabian Schiller (Mercedes AMG) – GetSpeed Dubai – 1’36″446
- 6 – Kobe Pauwels (Aston Martin Vantage) – Comtoyou – 1’36″470
- 7 – Oliver Söderström (Aston Martin Vantage) – Comtoyou – 1’36″490
- 8 – Marvin Dienst (Mercedes AMG) – Winward – 1’36″491
- 9 – Thomas Neubauer (Ferrari 296) – AF Corse – 1’36″557
- 10 – Matisse Lismont (BMW M4) – WRT – 1’36″634
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
