The 2026 International GT Open concluded with a double podium for the ZRS Motorsport team, the outfit staying in contention for the title through to the very end. Alex Fontana, partnered by Pietro Armanni, took on the task of driving the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO (992) to the leading positions in the standings, securing two second-place finishes in the two races at Barcelona, the pairing’s third consecutive podium finish following Monza.
Armanni took to the track for qualifying on the Saturday. The Italian was hampered by slower cars in a session that was also characterised by a damp track and two red flags. Pietro eventually had to settle for 14th place on the grid but in the afternoon he made an excellent start, capitalising on the chaos caused by a crash at Turn 1 to climb as high as 7th place. After the pit stops, Alex set off in pursuit of the race leader, moving up to 2nd place. Although the Swiss driver was the faster of the two rivals, the gap that had built up in the early stages of the race, combined with the handicap, proved too great to overcome.
On Sunday, the final qualifying session of the year was taken by Alex Fontana, who clocked a time of 1:39.174, just 50 thousandths off pole position, securing a front-row start. At the start of Sunday’s race, the driver from Ticino managed to hold onto 2nd place whilst staying out of trouble. Alex’s pace then allowed Armanni to retain 2nd place even after the pit stop, staying close to the race leader; while they missed out on victory by just a few seconds, the ZRS Motorsport crew once again claimed a place on the podium.
It was a positive weekend in Catalonia, which saw the pairing of Alex Fontana and Pietro Armanni finish 3rd in the overall championship standings, with three wins, six podium finishes, two pole positions and a total of 136 points scored over the course of the season. An excellent result considering it was a debut season for both Pietro and the ZRS Motorsport team.
Alex Fontana
“Finishing the season with a double podium is an incredible achievement and shows the fantastic progress we’ve made throughout the year. I’m delighted with the result itself and with having managed to stay in the title race through to the final race. As always, I’d like to thank Pietro and the whole ZRS Motorsport team for having been with me throughout this season, as well as the partners who have backed us.”
“Finishing the season with a double podium is an incredible achievement and shows the fantastic progress we’ve made throughout the year. I’m delighted with the result itself and with having managed to stay in the title race through to the final race. As always, I’d like to thank Pietro and the whole ZRS Motorsport team for having been with me throughout this season, as well as the partners who have backed us.”