Alex Fontana finished a chaotic 3 Hours of Monza, the second round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season. The Swiss driver was competing in the event alongside Bashar Mardini and Patrick Kolb at the wheel of the #89 Porsche 911 GT3 R entered by the Lionspeed GP team in the Bronze Cup class. The three qualifying sessions held on the Sunday morning saw the Lionspeed crew secure 11th place in class. Fontana recorded a time of 1:46.377 in the third and final session.
Mardini was entrusted with the start of the 3 Hours of Monza; the Canadian driver managed to emerge unscathed from the first-lap pile-up that obliged several high-flying crews to retire, allowing him to climb up to 23rd place overall. Mardini took advantage of the safety car to complete one of the race’s three mandatory pit stops, seeking a strategic advantage for the race’s final stages. Bashar then continued the stint until reaching the mandatory minimum time, before handing over to Kolb. The German was to drive the longest stint of the race, waiting for a neutralization phase that might prove favorable to the team.
Unfortunately, that did not happen and Fontana took the wheel of the Lionspeed Porsche 45 minutes before the chequered flag, returning to the track in 10th place in class. Alex nevertheless managed to showcase his usual race pace and gain positions, first moving up to 7th in the Bronze class and then to 6th, after a collision in closing stages involving the class leader. The Swiss driver thus crossed the finish line 6th in class and 21st overall out of 59 starting cars.
Unfortunately, that did not happen and Fontana took the wheel of the Lionspeed Porsche 45 minutes before the chequered flag, returning to the track in 10th place in class. Alex nevertheless managed to showcase his usual race pace and gain positions, first moving up to 7th in the Bronze class and then to 6th, after a collision in closing stages involving the class leader. The Swiss driver thus crossed the finish line 6th in class and 21st overall out of 59 starting cars.
The Lionspeed GP team earned its first eight championship points in the Bronze class, moving up to 10th place in the standings. The next round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup will be the famous Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa, scheduled for the weekend of June 26–28, 2026, but first for Fontana and Pietro Armanni comes the Misano round of the International GT Open with the ZRS Motorsport Porsche.
Alex Fontana
“We’ll be looking at Monza as a positive experience. We managed to reach the finish line in a race marked by numerous accidents and retirements. We had hoped for a neutralization at the start of the final hour of the race, but unfortunately that didn’t happen and this compromised the final result slightly. Now we’ll focus on the 24 Hours of Spa for the GT World Challenge, hoping to put all our knowledge to good use. My next race, however, will be back in Italy this weekend at Misano for the GT Open. It will be another opportunity, just like at Monza, to welcome friends, fans, and sponsors from nearby Switzerland.”
“We’ll be looking at Monza as a positive experience. We managed to reach the finish line in a race marked by numerous accidents and retirements. We had hoped for a neutralization at the start of the final hour of the race, but unfortunately that didn’t happen and this compromised the final result slightly. Now we’ll focus on the 24 Hours of Spa for the GT World Challenge, hoping to put all our knowledge to good use. My next race, however, will be back in Italy this weekend at Misano for the GT Open. It will be another opportunity, just like at Monza, to welcome friends, fans, and sponsors from nearby Switzerland.”