+ Little to choose between top GT3 and GT4 contenders
+ Entry list: Snetterton
The destination of both British GT drivers’ titles remains too close to call ahead of rounds six and seven at Snetterton this weekend.
Five points separate GT3’s top three, while the same GT4 positions are covered by 3.5 with four races remaining in this year’s campaign. Two of them take place on Sunday when 50 points are available across the 60-minute sprints that feature the same format last seen at Oulton Park back in April.
Barwell’s Lamborghinis were triumphant on Easter Monday and have continued to set the GT3 pace ever since along with Garage 59’s McLaren. Optimum, meanwhile, head to Snetterton still leading GT4 but eager to bounce back from a tricky outing at Spa-Francorchamps where Jack Brown and Zac Meakin non-scored.
As always, qualifying, warm-up and both races are live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel this Saturday and Sunday, while Sky Sports F1 has coverage of the latter.
GT3: THREE-WAY BATTLE FINELY POISED
Five points separate Alex Martin and Sandy Mitchell, Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley, and Rob and Ricky Collard ahead of what promises to be an enthralling but also potentially pivotal outing at Snetterton.
The #59 McLaren and #63 Lamborghini have scored in all five races held so far but still trail the #78 Huracan, which DNFed at Silverstone. What’s more, Martin and Mitchell compete without Compensation Time in Race 1 this Sunday, whereas Balfe/Smalley and the Collards have an extra seven and five seconds to serve, respectively, for finishing second and third at Spa.
The championship leaders must therefore make their advantage count at a circuit where the same team, car and driver (Mitchell) won 12 months ago.
But Balfe is also no slouch around Snett. Indeed, he claimed the pole that laid the foundations for Barwell’s win there last year. A similar qualifying performance, albeit now aboard a McLaren that set fastest time in the Pro session, and Safety Car-free opening stint could go some way towards Garage 59’s crew overturning their pitstop handicap.
The Collards must do something similar if they’re to limit the damage. Five seconds extra is by no means insurmountable if Rob can make a clean break at the front.
2 Seas has promised much this year, and finally took the win its pace deserved at Spa last time out. There, Kevin Tse and Maximilian Götz converted pole position into victory but must now serve the maximum 10 seconds of Compensation Time in Race 1. Their team-mates Ian Loggie and Phil Keen have no such handicap, which given Mercedes-AMG’s recent Snetterton form – four wins from the last five races – surely makes them serious contenders.
Victory would also bring the #6 machine firmly back into title contention after a consistent run of results. Loggie and Keen lie fourth in the standings, 19 points behind Martin and Mitchell.
They’re one place ahead of Mark Radcliffe and Tom Gamble who also need a win – and probably two very strong results – to keep their increasingly slim title hopes alive. Optimum’s McLaren has looked quick on occasion this year, and especially so in the hands of Gamble who will be eager to emulate the performance of fellow factory driver Marvin Kirchhöfer who claimed pole position last year.
RAM Racing shouldn’t be discounted either given their recent success at Snetterton. Loggie tasted victory there in 2021 and John Ferguson has won races in each of the last two years. All three came at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG, though, which has been swapped for a BMW this season. There’s also a change on the Pro front: rapid young factory driver Max Hesse – who claimed pole at the recent Nurburgring 24 Hours – deputises for FIA WEC-bound Raffaele Marciello.
Elsewhere, several full-season GT3 entries are unable to compete at Snetterton. Andrew Howard (Beechdean AMR) and Lucky Khera (RACE LAB) have respective business and family commitments, and Simon Watts (Team RJN) is still recuperating following his accident at Silverstone. Simon Orange is also still feeling the effects of his Spa crash. He and the Orange/JMH McLaren – which has been repaired – will both return at Donington.
GT4: FORSETTI TO THE FORE?
If you thought GT3 was close then get a load of GT4 where Optimum’s Spa non-score has helped to bunch this year’s primary contenders ahead of the final four races.
Back-to-back victories at Silverstone and Donington helped Brown and Meakin take control of the title battle. But they were pegged back last time out by Forsetti’s crews who have scored in all five outings so far.
Marc Warren and Will Orton remain win-less but collected their third podium and second consecutive runner-up finish three weeks ago to move half-a-point clear of team-mates Mikey Porter and Jamie Day, who completed Spa’s rostrum. Both Aston Martins, unlike Optimum’s McLaren, must therefore remain stationary for an extra seven and five seconds during their Race 1 pitstops at Snetterton.
That puts Meakin and Brown in the box seat initially. And it’s an advantage the latter hardly needs given his record in Norfolk where he won with Optimum last year and aboard Century’s BMW the season before.
But 2022’s other race was won by Day who will be amongst the favourites on Sunday afternoon assuming Forsetti’s Aston doesn’t collect more Compensation Time beforehand.
The top three must be mindful of Team Parker’s Mercedes-AMG, which lies fourth in the overall standings and just over a sprint win’s worth of points behind the leading McLaren. Charles Dawson and Seb Morris outscored everyone on the opening weekend at Oulton when the same format yielded a victory and second place finish. Something similar this Sunday would move them firmly back into title contention.
No other crew is currently within 50 points of top spot, a situation that Erik Evans also found himself in at this stage last year. The American went on to win the title at Brown’s expense so shouldn’t be discounted, even if he and Academy co-driver Marco Signoretti find themselves 56 points adrift in sixth.
Ian Gough and Tom Wrigley are directly ahead thanks to their win at Spa. They, just like both of Forsetti’s cars, have scored in all five races but were limited to single digit points in the first four. Maximum Compensation Time means they are likely to struggle in Race 1 before Century’s BMW competes penalty-free in the second.
GT3 withdrawals have made space for DTO’s Ginetta to join the grid this weekend when Freddie Tomlinson has another chance to turn strong starting positions into a podium or better. He was a winner at Snetterton last year alongside Stuart Middleton and is joined there this weekend by the returning Aston Millar, who raced for DTO throughout 2023.
Non scores in the last two rounds have dropped Ian Duggan and Gordie Mutch out of overall and Pro-Am title contention. But they, along with Mahiki team-mates Steven Lake and Nathan Harrison, will harbour hopes of scoring a strong result for Lotus just a matter of miles down the road from its base at Hethel.
Steller’s Audi returns to the grid after missing Spa, while Ravi Ramyead is also fit to race after crashing his Century BMW at Raidillon last time out.
SNETTERTON TIMETABLE
Friday 12 July
10:45 – 11:40: Test 1
13:50 – 14:45: Test 2
16:00 – 16:55: Test 3
Saturday 13 July
09:30 – 10:30: Free Practice
12:05 – 13:05: Pre-Qualifying
16:10 – 16:20: Qualifying 1 (GT3)
16:24 – 16:34: Qualifying 2 (GT3)
16:38 – 16:48: Qualifying 3 (GT4)
16:53 – 17:03: Qualifying 4 (GT4)
Sunday 14 July
09:35 – 09:50: Warm-up
11:25 – 12:25: Race 1
13:45 – 14:15: Pitwalk + autograph session
16:20 – 17:20: Race 2
LAP RECORDS
GT3 – 1m46.116s – Marvin Kirchhöfer – Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo – 2023
GT4 – 1m59.159s – Mike Simpson – Toro Verde GT Ginetta G56 GT4 – 2023
PITSTOP SPECIFICS – ONE-HOUR RACE
GT3 cars must make their mandatory driver change at 22-32 minutes, while GT4’s pit window is 28-38 minutes.
Mandatory Pitstop Times (pit-in to pit-out)
GT3: 75s | GT4: 105s
Pitstop Compensation Time
Each class’ top three finishers from the previous round must be stationary for additional time during their mandatory pitstop.
10s – #18 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG – Tse/Götz
07s – #59 Garage 59 McLaren – Balfe/Smalley
05s – #63 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini – Collard/Collard
10s – #29 Century Motorsport BMW – Gough/Wrigley
07s – #47 Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martin – Warren/Orton
05s – #7 Forsetti Motorsport Aston Martin – Day/Porter
All GT4 Silver Cup entries must serve an additional 14s during their mandatory driver changes and carry 25kg of ballast.
