Alex Fontana got his 2025 International GT Open season underway with a victory and a second place in his class. Now in his second consecutive season in the series, the Swiss driver achieved two outstanding results in the first race of the year at the Portimao circuit. Back on the starting grid in the Pro-Am category, Alex renewed his partnership with Car Collection Motorsport, remaining loyal to the German team and driving their Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).
Fontana’s weekend got off to the best possible start, with the Swiss driver finishing the first group test session on Thursday with the fastest time. Alex’s good feeling with the #31 Porsche was confirmed in free practice in which the Car Collection Motorsport crew again recorded the fastest time in the second session. The first qualifying session of the season took place on the Saturday, with the German team finishing 10th in the Pro-Am category. After a comfortable first stint, in which Fontana’s team made up a few positions, the Swiss driver got behind the wheel to complete the second half of the race. Leaving the pits in 7th place in his class, Alex immediately confirmed the excellent pace he had shown throughout the weekend. Thanks to several excellent overtakes, Fontana found himself fighting for a podium place in the final minutes of the race, eventually claiming 2nd place in his category and 10th overall on the last lap of Race 1.
Sunday’s programme saw Fontana take to the track again for qualifying. This time, the Car Collection Motorsport crew showed its full potential, taking a fantastic overall pole position – Alex’s first in the series – thanks to a time of 1:39.966, beating the best of his rivals by 268 thousandths of a second. When the second race of the weekend got underway, Fontana established an immediate lead, setting a pace that was too hot for his rivals and building a lead of more than 15 seconds in just 30 minutes of racing. After handing over control of the car to his teammate, the #31 Car Collection Motorsport crew slipped to eighth place overall, losing positions to several Pro class crews, the most competitive category on paper. Nonetheless, the German team’s Porsche still managed to retain 1st place in the Pro-Am class, thus securing victory in the final race of the weekend. This is Alex’s second class win in the International GT Open, following his splendid victory in Race 2 at Barcelona last season. Thanks to this weekend’s excellent results, the Swiss driver is now second in the Pro-Am drivers’ standings, level on points with the class leaders.
With the first weekend of the International GT Open now behind him, Fontana will be back in action in the series at Spa-Francorchamps, with the historic Belgian circuit hosting the second round from 16 to 18 May. For the occasion, the championship will return to the endurance format, with a single 500km race.
Alex Fontana
“I’m delighted with how the season has started: the International GT Open is a very competitive championship, and to bring home a victory and a 2nd place in class, as well as claiming an overall pole position, is a source of great pride for us. I would like to thank Car Collection Motorsport for providing us with a truly rapid car and allowing us to race in the best possible conditions. The next round of the International GT Open is in three weeks, and I can’t wait to get back on track at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit to try and repeat the excellent results we achieved at Portimao.”
“I’m delighted with how the season has started: the International GT Open is a very competitive championship, and to bring home a victory and a 2nd place in class, as well as claiming an overall pole position, is a source of great pride for us. I would like to thank Car Collection Motorsport for providing us with a truly rapid car and allowing us to race in the best possible conditions. The next round of the International GT Open is in three weeks, and I can’t wait to get back on track at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit to try and repeat the excellent results we achieved at Portimao.”