Sean Gelael on the podium; HRT-Ford impress in series debut

Circuit Paul Ricard

GT World Challenge Europe

The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe season kicked off at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, with a grid stacked across multiple classes—and notable participation from Asian drivers making waves in their respective categories.

In the Pro Cup, India’s Arjun Maini impressed behind the wheel of the all-new Ford Mustang GT3 with HRT Ford Performance. Teaming up with Jann Mardenborough and Thomas Drouet, the trio turned a 28th-place qualifying into an impressive P11 finish, showing strong race pace and consistency in the Mustang’s series debut.

Thailand’s Tanart Sathienthirakul, competing in the Silver Cup with GetSpeed alongside Aaron Walker and Colin Caresani, qualified 30th and crossed the line in 29th overall. While not a headline result, it marked a solid showing in a tightly contested midfield.

Sal Sanjay of India, driving for CSA Racing in the Silver Cup, showed promise in the early stages, but misfortune struck. Alongside teammates Edgar Maloigne and Maxime Robin, his McLaren 720S GT3 EVO was forced to retire after 120 laps, ending their day prematurely.

In the Bronze Cup, Indonesia’s Sean Gelael returned to endurance racing with Paradine Competition. Driving the BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Daniel Harper and Darren Leung, the team climbed to 27th overall and clinched P2 in class. 

Last weekend marked Antares Au’s first outing since clinching the Asian Le Mans Series title with Manthey Racing. He teamed up with Morris Schuring and Loek Hartog at Rutronik Racing driving the Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Bronze Class. They finished 39th out of 59 entries, moving up a few places from 46th in qualifying. 

Meanwhile, the Japanese duo Yuichi Nakayama and Kazuko Kotaka, racing under Nordique Racing in the Pro Cup, struggled with pace and traffic, finishing 51st after qualifying 53rd.

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