Alex Fontana will be on the grid for start of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe. The Swiss driver will tackle the season at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R entered by Lionspeed GP in the Bronze Cup category of the world’s leading GT3 championship. 2026 will mark an important return to a full season for Fontana in a series in which he has already enjoyed great success. His GT World Challenge record includes five titles: the historic 2021 triple crown in the Silver Cup, with victories in the Overall, Sprint, and Endurance standings, and the two titles won in 2023 in the Pro-Am class. Added to these is his 2018 Silver Cup success with Emil Frey’s Jaguar, when the championship was still known as the Blancpain GT Series. A high-profile career in the SRO group’s championships, while the aim now is to achieve a significant result in the season’s flagship race, the 24 Hours of Spa.
For the 2026 Endurance Cup, Fontana will be sharing the car with Bashar Mardini and Patrick Kolb. Mardini made his debut with the German team at the end of 2024 and has already secured three wins in the Bronze Cup in 2025, albeit in the Sprint format. Patrick Kolb co-founded the team together with José Garcia in 2019; since 2024, the team has been able to rely on an independent organization with its own structure, focused primarily on GT3 and GT4 programs with the Porsche marque. The goal for the 2026 season is ambitious: to improve on the result achieved in 2025, when it claimed the runner-up’s title in the Bronze Cup Overall. With this in mind, Alex Fontana’s experience in the Weissach car and within the SRO series will be a key factor in the team aiming for the top step of the podium.
The season gets underway with the Prologue scheduled for April 7-8 at the Paul Ricard circuit, which will also host the first round of the championship the following weekend with the 6 Hours of Le Castellet. The French event will be the second-longest race of the year after the 24 Hours of Spa, scheduled for June 24-28. The series will conclude in Barcelona, at the Montmeló circuit, on the weekend of October 2-4.
The complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup calendar:
Paul Ricard (France) – 11–12 April (6 hours)
Monza (Italy) –29–31 May (3 hours)
24 Hours of Spa (Belgium) –24–28 June
Nürburgring (Germany) –28–30 August (3 hours)
Barcelona (Spain) –2–4 October (3 hours)
Paul Ricard (France) – 11–12 April (6 hours)
Monza (Italy) –29–31 May (3 hours)
24 Hours of Spa (Belgium) –24–28 June
Nürburgring (Germany) –28–30 August (3 hours)
Barcelona (Spain) –2–4 October (3 hours)
Alex Fontana
“I’m thrilled to be back in the GT World Challenge Europe as a full-time driver. I have many fond memories of the past few years, of the titles we won, but also of the many races and adventures we had. This will be my first experience in the Bronze Cup, which features a professional driver, a semi-pro, and an amateur, so it will also be important to do our homework and study our rivals. I would like to thank Lionspeed GP for involving me in this ambitious project, and of course, I can't wait to get out on the track as soon as possible."
“I’m thrilled to be back in the GT World Challenge Europe as a full-time driver. I have many fond memories of the past few years, of the titles we won, but also of the many races and adventures we had. This will be my first experience in the Bronze Cup, which features a professional driver, a semi-pro, and an amateur, so it will also be important to do our homework and study our rivals. I would like to thank Lionspeed GP for involving me in this ambitious project, and of course, I can't wait to get out on the track as soon as possible."