GTWC Europe: Lilou Wadoux stars in AF Corse run to Pro-class top 6 in chaotic Monza race

Lilou Wadoux and the #50 AF Corse Ferrari crew made a step forward in the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup second round at Monza, converting encouraging pace into a sixth-place finish in the fiercely competitive Pro class during a dramatic and incident-filled three-hour race, where the Frenchwoman set the fastest lap of the trio.

Photo credits: Ferrari Races

Lilou Wadoux and the #50 AF Corse Ferrari crew made a step forward in the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup second round at Monza, converting encouraging pace into a sixth-place finish in the fiercely competitive Pro class during a dramatic and incident-filled three-hour race.

The French factory driver once again proved to be one of the most valuable racers in the Ferrari lineup, producing a superb middle stint that helped move the team into contention for a top-five before late-race chaos ultimately prevented further progress, with many cars on different strategies.

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup arrived at the legendary Monza circuit for the second round of the season following a challenging but promising opening event at Paul Ricard. One of the most accomplished female sportscar racers in international motorsport and a key member of Ferrari’s factory driver roster, Lilou Wadoux continues to strengthen her reputation across multiple championships in 2026: following an impressive 2025 campaign that included the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title and a strong European Le Mans Series season, Wadoux joined Ferrari’s full-season Pro programme in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, sharing the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with Arthur Leclerc and Sean Gelael.

The season opener at Paul Ricard had provided encouraging signs despite ending outside the top ten in class. Competing against one of the strongest Pro fields in global GT racing, the AF Corse trio demonstrated consistent speed throughout the six-hour contest in the South of France, but ultimately finished 12th in class after a series of setbacks. Nevertheless, the potential displayed in France gave confidence heading into Monza, a circuit expected to suit the Ferrari 296 GT3 package more effectively.

Those expectations were immediately validated during the pre-event paid test session. The Ferrari looked considerably more competitive around the high-speed Italian venue, with Arthur Leclerc posting a 1:46.460 to place fourth overall and end Friday on a positive note. The team continued to refine the setup through practice, with Leclerc recording the squad's best FP2 lap at 1:46.606.

Qualifying on Sunday morning further confirmed the team's potential. Wadoux took driving duties in the opening qualifying segment and immediately produced a strong performance, clocking a 1:46.152 that placed the Ferrari tenth among the Pro-class entries.

Arthur Leclerc then produced an excellent lap in Q2: the Monegasque extracted a 1:45.590 from the Ferrari to secure third overall in the session and place the #50 crew among the frontrunners.

Sean Gelael completed the qualifying effort in Q3, recording a 1:46.582 that ranked fifteenth in Pro. The combined times ultimately placed the AF Corse Ferrari P16 overall and P12 in the Pro class for the start of the three-hour race.

Photo credits: Ferrari Races

Gelael took the start in what quickly became one of the most chaotic opening laps in recent memory in the GT World Challenge Europe. As the field charged toward the tight first chicane, multiple cars became involved in a massive chain-reaction accident, after Maxime Martin squeezed the pack; several competitors were collected, and almost fifteen machines were caught up in the incident as the field compressed into the braking zone of Prima Variante.

Amid the mayhem, Gelael expertly avoided trouble and emerged in eleventh overall and ninth in the Pro class. The Safety Car was immediately deployed while the six cars with terminal damage were recovered.

During the caution period, several teams elected to pit and reset their stints, including the #50 Ferrari. Gelael remained behind the wheel and, following the stop, dropped to 27th overall, with cars opting to stop under yellow moving to a different strategy.

The race restarted after approximately twenty minutes behind the Safety Car. Gelael quickly began moving forward again, running eighth in Pro class while battling through traffic. He navigated another incident at the first chicane when a Corvette spun ahead of him, taking evasive action and gaining further positions.

Although he lost some time while trapped behind slower Bronze Cup competitors and was forced to bypass the second chicane at one point, Gelael maintained strong pace. A decisive move on Petrobelli at Turn 1 elevated him to seventh in class, and as he cleared slower class traffic, he climbed to twentieth overall.

A Virtual Safety Car was deployed when the #111 McLaren became stranded in the gravel after hitting the barriers. Gelael made his second pit stop under the neutralization and benefited from the timing of the caution.

When racing resumed with 1 hour and 51 minutes remaining, the Indonesian driver found himself fifth in Pro class and ninth overall following the pit cycle. As other teams completed their stops, he briefly rose as high as third in Pro, consistently lapping in the mid-1:48 range.

Another Full Course Yellow interrupted the race when Chris Lulham's Verstappen.com Racing Mercedes slowed down to a halt at Ascari. Shortly afterward, Gelael made his final stop and one of the latest driver changes in the field. With the race approaching halfway distance, Lilou Wadoux climbed aboard the Ferrari.

Photo credits: Ferrari Races

Different strategic approaches were beginning to emerge throughout the Pro field, but Wadoux wasted no time making her mark. Immediately comfortable in the car, she began posting some of the fastest laps of the race. On lap 39 she recorded a 1:47.3, setting the fastest lap of the #50 Ferrari up to that point.

Following the pit sequence, Wadoux rejoined eighth in Pro class. A further Full Course Yellow was triggered when the #914 Razoon Porsche of Kolovos went off at Lesmo 1. While several rivals elected to pit, Wadoux stayed out, gaining track position.

The neutralization eventually turned into a full Safety Car period, and when the #98 ROWE Racing BMW made a stop, Wadoux advanced to seventh in class.

The restart came with just over one hour remaining, and once again the opening corners resulted in friction throughout the field. The #555 McLaren spun, but Wadoux avoided the chaos and immediately went on the attack.

She passed Krognes in the #34 Aston Martin to move into sixth in Pro and then began hunting down the Eastalent Racing Audi. Continuing to lap at an exceptional pace, Wadoux posted a 1:47.4 before catching and overtaking Winkelhock on lap 53.

Now fifth in class, she produced one of the highlight laps of the entire race, stopping the clocks at 1:46.942. The lap ranked among the quickest recorded during the event and showed just how competitive the Frenchwoman had been throughout her stint.

Having gained positions on pure pace and placed her AF Corse Ferrari among the Pro-class front runners, Wadoux eventually pitted on lap 56 after another highly impressive stint. She handed the Ferrari over to Arthur Leclerc while running fifth in class, with the car rejoining seventh after the stop sequence.

Leclerc resumed the charge immediately. Running in a tightly packed group of competitors, he quickly closed on the #34 Aston Martin, now driven by Henrique Chaves. Staying within half a second, Leclerc eventually completed the pass to move into sixth in the Pro standings.

The Monegasque driver continued to improve, lowering his best lap to 1:47.1 while chasing down additional rivals. He overtook De Haan and later cleared Schandorff's Ferrari to gain further overall positions.

However, the race's closing stages were heavily disrupted by incidents. The #44 Greystone McLaren of Pintos went off at Lesmo 2, and only moments later the #222 Mercedes suffered a dramatic engine failure on the main straight, leaving a huge cloud of smoke before stopping near the first chicane.

A Full Course Yellow was immediately deployed, eventually becoming a full Safety Car period with just ten minutes remaining. The caution was particularly unfortunate for Leclerc and AF Corse, who had been gaining ground under green-flag conditions and looked capable of challenging for further positions.

The race restarted with seven minutes left, setting up a frantic sprint to the finish. The opening lap after the restart featured fierce wheel-to-wheel battles throughout the field, with several cars dropping wheels into the gravel at Lesmo while fighting for position.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

The action lasted only briefly. A major accident involving the #9 Porsche of Nesov, hit by van der Linde under braking at the Prima Variante, triggered another heavy collision, collecting multiple cars and forcing race control to deploy the Safety Car once again. The race ultimately ended under caution.

Leclerc successfully avoided the final incident and crossed the line 12th overall and sixth in the Pro class, securing valuable championship points for the AF Corse crew.

While the team proved pace to potentially finish in the top five, it nevertheless represented a significant step forward for them after the season opener. Gelael delivered a composed opening stint amid difficult circumstances, Leclerc brought the car home in the closing stages, and Wadoux once again starred among the drivers in the Ferrari camp, producing the team's fastest lap in a brilliant stint.

Reflecting on the weekend, Wadoux highlighted both the learning process and the progress made by the team: "As I said in Le Castellet, GT World Challenge is a completely new championship for me, so I'm still learning a lot, especially about tyres and how to manage them in the race."

"I think overall we had a pretty good weekend. We worked well in free practice, qualifying, and the race. The team did an amazing job, both in the pit stops and on the engineering side. We always adapted to the situation, so we can be happy."

"Sometimes you play with strategy: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. In the end, we scored championship points. We're sixth, so that's better than nothing. We'll keep working to improve and be ready for the 24 Hours."

The result leaves the #50 AF Corse crew with their first top 10 in class heading into the most prestigious event on the GT World Challenge calendar: the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Before then, however, Wadoux's attention will turn to another legendary endurance challenge as she prepares for a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.