28 drivers from 15 nations and four continents. Brand diversity: Six different manufacturers on the grid. .Big prize purse, “Road to DTM” concept and races on free-to-air TV.
The ADAC GT Masters is under starter’s orders ahead of the 2026 season. With a promising field of talented drivers and no fewer than six different manufacturers, the ADAC’s GT3 series is once again a top-class affair in its 20th season. An attractive prize purse, with € 570,000 in cash and non-cash prizes, will be shared between the successful competitors. For the first time in the history of the series, the season will kick off outside Germany. From 24th to 26th April, the aspiring and talented youngsters and ambitious, experienced racers will put pedal to the metal at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Tickets for the season opener, which features on the same programme as the DTM, start at € 49 and are available at dtm.com. The races will be broadcast on free-to-air TV station Sport1, as well as being streamed live on Joyn, ServusTV On and Youtube.com/ADACMotorsports.
The ADAC GT Masters has rarely been so international
In total, 28 drivers from 15 nations and four continents will line up in the ADAC GT Masters, making this year’s grid one of the most international ever seen in the series. In Ethan Brown (21/SGP/Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport), the field includes a driver from Singapore for the first time. Storm Gjerdrum (16/NOR) and Fabio Rauer (19/Stolberg/both FK Performance Motorsport) form the third-youngest driver pairing in the history of the ADAC GT Masters. When they line up at the season opener, they will have an average age of 18 years, three months and 27 days.
The field has been shaken up nicely, with the introduction of many new faces. 15 drivers will be contesting a full season for the first time, including ten debutants and four racers who have only started at one race weekend in the past. Two of last year’s pairings remain unchanged: last year’s runners-up Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen) and Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport), and twins Sandro and Juliano Holzem (21/Polch/both Schubert Motorsport).
New teams and manufacturers
The drivers are spread across seven teams. Belgian outfit Comtoyou Racing, which is familiar from the DTM, and HGL Racing are new to the series and will take on the more established teams in the battle for top results in the ADAC GT Masters. Haupt Racing Team, the winner of last year’s Driver and Team titles, lines up again with three Ford Mustang GT3.
Two other teams will each field three cars for the first time: FK Performance Motorsport with the BMW M4 GT3 Evo and Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2. Austrian team Razoon – more than Racing will now run two Porsche 911 GT3 R, after an impressive debut last year. ADAC GT Masters institution Schubert Motorsport is back on the grid with a BMW M4 GT3 Evo. As well as the competitors registered for the full season, the ADAC is also pleased with the high demand for guest starts at selected events. The additional competitors will only serve to bolster the high-class field in the ADAC GT Masters.
In the footsteps of Finn Wiebelhaus
The “Road to DTM” remains an important element of the ADAC’s youth development concept this season. The winner of this competition receives the entry fee for next year’s DTM season. The drivers receive points for the results they achieve together and their individual qualifying results. Infringements on the track are punished by points deductions. Finn Wiebelhaus won both the Drivers title in the ADAC GT Masters Driver and the “Road to DTM” in 2025, and this year lines up for HRT Ford Performance in the DTM.
Races remain on free-to-air TV on Sport1
In 2026, fans can again look forward to a wide range of ADAC GT Masters coverage on live TV and streaming services. As a rule, the Sunday races will be broadcast live on Sport1. A compact highlights package of the Saturday race will be shown before the Sunday race. All races will also be streamed live on Sport1, Joyn, ServusTV On and Youtube.com/ADACMotorsports. The races are shown live or replayed in full in more than 150 territories around the world.
Perfect mix of sprint and endurance
Of the six race weekends that make up the 2026 season, four will be held as sprint events (Red Bull Ring, Zandvoort, Nürburgring and Hockenheimring) and two as endurance events (Dekra Lausitzring and Salzburgring).
Starter list for the 2026 ADAC GT Masters
#1 Max Reis (19/Ramstein)/Emil Gjerdrum (18/NOR/both Haupt Racing Team)
#2 Niklas Kalus (20/Duisburg)/Kiano Blum (18/AUT/both Haupt Racing Team)
#10 Storm Gjerdrum (16/NOR)/Fabio Rauer (19/Stolberg/both FK Performance Motorsport)
#11 Tim Zimmermann (29/Langenargen)/Leyton Fourie (20/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport)
#12 Jan Duran (18/ESP)/Joseph Ellerine (22/ZAF/both FK Performance Motorsport)
#14 Leo Pichler (24/AUT)/Colin Bönighausen (21/DEU/both Razoon - more than Racing)
#19 Tim Hütter (19/AUT)/Ethan Brown (21/SGP/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport)
#39 Jamie Day (20/GBR)/Baudouin Detout (25/FRA/both Comtoyou Racing)
#41 Mark Kastelic (18/SLO)/Pavel Lefterov (28/BGR/both Razoon - more than Racing)
#56 Sandro und Juliano Holzem (21/Polch/both Schubert Motorsport)
#63 Felix Hirsiger (27/CHE)/Finn Zulauf (21/Königstein im Taunus/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport)
#74 Max Cuccarese (19/ITA)/Alain Valente (29/CHE/both Haupt Racing Team)
#77 Robin Rogalski (25/POL)/Simon Connor Primm (21/Großschirna/both HGL Racing)
#163 John Paul Southern (24/USA)/Jonas Karklys (36/LIT/both Liqui Moly Team Engstler Motorsport)