Verstappen Racing has been fast all season. Fast enough to win, fast enough for pole positions, fast enough to make you wonder what on earth keeps going wrong. At Magny-Cours on Saturday, nothing went wrong. Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella converted pole position into a clean, controlled victory in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, ending a deeply frustrating wait for the team’s first win of 2026.
A Season of Near-Misses and Rotten Luck
This is not a team still finding its feet. Verstappen Racing stepped up to the overall Pro class this year after winning the Gold class in 2025, and the speed has largely been there. The results, however, kept slipping away through no fault of the drivers.
At Brands Hatch, Juncadella and Chris Lulham crossed the line first in Race 1, only for a post-race penalty to rip the win away. At Misano, Juncadella was collected by other cars on the opening lap of Race 1 before the pair recovered to finish second in Race 2. The Endurance Cup was no kinder: a retirement at Monza, fourth at the Spa 24 Hours after leading late on, and a driveshaft failure at the Nürburgring 24 Hours when the #3 Mercedes was genuinely threatening the outright lead.
At some point, the bad luck has to run out. Magny-Cours was that point.
Gounon, Juncadella, and a Race Controlled From Start to Finish
Gounon took pole and immediately built a comfortable buffer over the field. He pitted last among the Pro class runners, handing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to Juncadella with a healthy margin in hand. Then, inevitably, a Full Course Yellow with around 20 minutes remaining compressed the field and handed Arthur Leclerc a sniff.
Leclerc, younger brother of Charles Leclerc, closed to within around 2.5 seconds in the closing laps. Juncadella held firm, and Verstappen Racing took the chequered flag by that margin ahead of the #50 Ferrari of Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer. Kobe Pauwels and Nicki Thiim completed the podium in third.
“It’s never easy. Sprint racing is hectic. You need to be spot on with everything. Amazing to get the first proper win.” – Dani Juncadella
“I’m just so happy for the whole team. They are working night and day to give us a car like this. Hats off to them.” – Jules Gounon
Max Reacts From His Portuguese Holiday
Max Verstappen was not at the circuit, currently enjoying the F1 summer break in Portugal having previously been in Sardinia. He was clearly watching. Shortly after the chequered flag, he posted on social media: “So proud. Well done everyone.” His father Jos added his congratulations, while mother Sophie Kumpen offered a trio of applause emojis.
Given that Verstappen has spoken openly about unfinished business in endurance racing, including a desire to return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, this GT programme is clearly more than a vanity project. It is worth noting that his F1 future at Red Bull is still a live talking point, but off-track at least, Saturday was a good day.
Sunday Offers a Double
The Magny-Cours weekend is not finished. A second qualifying session runs at 10:50 UTC on Sunday (check the calendar for your local time), with Race 2 starting at 15:30 UTC. Because Gounon qualified and started Race 1, Juncadella takes qualifying and the opening stint on Sunday, with Gounon climbing in at the mandatory stop.
In the Sprint Cup standings, Verstappen Racing now has momentum. In the overall championship, earlier misfortune has likely made a title challenge impossible. But sometimes a win is just a win, and after this season, they have earned the right to enjoy it.
