Manuela Gostner clinches double podium on first Ferrari Challenge UK weekend

Manuela Gostner enjoyed a strong start to her 2026 campaign, scoring two podium finishes in the Pirelli Trophy category during the opening round of the Ferrari Challenge UK season at Circuit Paul Ricard, proving herself as a front-runner in her debut in the British-based championship.

Photo credits: Roberto Viva

Manuela Gostner enjoyed a stellar start to her 2026 campaign, scoring two podium finishes in the Pirelli Trophy category during the opening round of the Ferrari Challenge UK season at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. The Italian secured second and third-place finishes across the weekend, immediately establishing herself as a front-runner in her debut appearance in the British-based championship.

The event marked the beginning of a new chapter in Gostner’s career following her title-winning campaign in Ferrari Challenge Europe. After clinching the 2025 Ferrari Challenge Europe Shell Cup championship, her first continental title in the Ferraro one-make series, Gostner elected to move into Ferrari Challenge UK and stepping into the Pirelli Trophy class for pro drivers.

The season opener at Paul Ricard represented a familiar venue for the Italian, as Ferrari Challenge UK began its campaign with its only European round of the year at the French circuit.

In dry conditions during practice, Gostner immediately demonstrated competitive speed: she finished second fastest in the opening official practice session with a lap of 2:04.513, just 0.045 seconds behind overall pace setter Gilbert Yates. She followed this with fourth-fastest time in the second practice session. While not topping the timesheets, Gostner displayed particularly strong long-run pace, positioning herself as a clear podium contender heading into qualifying.

Saturday qualifying took place in wet and highly challenging conditions. Gostner initially remained in the pits during the opening minutes before venturing onto the circuit and setting a 2:22.2 lap to move into third position in the Pirelli class.

She quickly improved to a 2:20.382, briefly securing second fastest overall, just one tenth behind Yates. After returning to the pits, track conditions continued to improve, allowing Bradley Yates to set a new benchmark and pushing Gostner down the order. Returning to the track for the final five minutes, Gostner broke the 2:20 barrier but ultimately remained third before being shuffled to fourth at the chequered flag, with the top five drivers covered by just one second.

Photo credits: Ferrari Races

Starting fourth on the grid for her first Ferrari Challenge UK race, Gostner faced dry yet cloudy conditions for the rolling start. She made a clean launch into Turn 1, tucking in behind Dewhirst while immediately entering a tight battle for the overall podium positions, soon joined by Joseph Dean to create a three-way fight for third.

Gostner set the fastest lap early in the race, though leader Bradley Yates soon responded as the leading pair began pulling away while the battle behind intensified.

On lap three, Gostner executed a decisive move past Dewhirst. Once in clean air, her pace immediately improved, particularly in sector 1, allowing her to break clear of the cars behind while beginning the task of closing an eight-second gap to Bradley and Gilbert Yates.

As the father-and-son duo battled for the lead, Gostner consistently ran in the 2:06 range, extending her advantage over Dewhirst to four seconds while steadily chipping away at the leaders’ margin. The race turned when Gilbert Yates received a five-second penalty for track limits, placing Gostner within reachable distance.

Maintaining remarkable consistency, she increased the pressure and by lap 13 had caught Gilbert Yates, circulating in the 2:05.9 range. With the penalty effectively working in her favour, Gostner avoided unnecessary risks and stayed within range, crossing the finish line less than a second behind. The time penalty promoted her to second place, sealing an impressive result in her first Ferrari Challenge UK start.

"I started P4 in Race 1 after a tricky qualifying session with some rain around", Manuela said. "My start wasn’t perfect and I got stuck behind another car for a few laps, but once I found my rhythm I managed to fight back and bring the car home in P2"

Photo credits: Roberto Viva

Sunday morning’s second qualifying session took place in dry conditions, offering Gostner another opportunity to capitalize on her experience at the French circuit. She quickly posted a 2:09.7 lap to move into second position before both Bradley and Gilbert Yates improved.

Midway through the session, Gostner pitted for fresh tyres while running third fastest. After bringing the new tyres up to temperature, she clocked a 2:06.232 lap to claim provisional pole position. Moments later, Gilbert Yates reclaimed the top spot, with Bradley Yates also dipping below the 2:06 barrier.

Gostner then produced purple sector times on a subsequent attempt but couldn't eventually improve. With rivals continuing to make gains, she ultimately qualified fifth for Race 2.

Under sunnier conditions for the weekend’s final race, Gostner lined up on the third row of the grid. Using her experience, she made a strong start and passed Dewhirst into Turn 1 to claim fourth position, immediately setting her sights on the leading trio.

Ahead, Bradley Yates led Gilbert Yates and Joseph Dean, while Gostner steadily pulled away from the chasing pack. As Dean pushed to remain in contention for victory and set the fastest lap, Gostner built rhythm and consistency, breaking into the 2:08 range while managing a four-second gap to the podium battle ahead.

By lap eight she began closing slightly on Dean, improving her first-sector. However, her progress was complicated by a developing steering column issue that made the car increasingly difficult to drive.

At the front, the Yates duo continued their fight until drama struck with five minutes remaining when Gilbert Yates lost a wheel and was forced to retire. The incident promoted Gostner into third position, placing her once again on course for a podium finish.

With no safety car intervention, opportunities to attack Dean for second remained limited, as both drivers matched lap times in the closing stages. Gostner maintained control despite the mechanical difficulties and crossed the line in third place, securing back-to-back podiums on her series debut.

"Race 2 was another challenge", Gostner explained. "I started P5, gained a position at the start and moved up to P3, but early in the race I had a steering column issue which made the car much harder to drive. In the end, holding on to the podium in P3 felt like a real win. Two races, two podiums, and a great way to begin this new chapter."

Gostner leaves the season opener with a significant haul of championship points and clear evidence of competitive pace in the Pirelli Trophy class of the Ferrari Challenge UK championship.

The series now moves to Snetterton in May, where Gostner will look to build on her debut weekend.