The GT4 Winter Series is set to kick off this weekend at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with 15 cars confirmed on the grid. The season opener will feature a mix of returning faces and drivers making their closed-wheel racing debuts.

The PRO class is headlined by reigning Teams’ and Drivers’ Champions Elite Motorsport, who return with a pair of McLaren Artura GT4 machines. Their 2025 championship rivals, Rafa Racing Club by RaceLab, also return as they look to disrupt Elite’s title defence. Irish brothers Robert and Colin Cronin will make their GT4 debuts with the team.

ADAC GT4 Germany Champions SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm are back in the PRO class, fielding Joel Mesch and Enrico Förderer. Toyota also returns to the series, with Speedy Motorsport entering a GR Supra GT4 and Formula 4 race winner Hudson Schwartz making the step up to GT4 competition.

SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm will also compete in the PRO-AM class, with Cedric Fuchs and Willi Kühne sharing driving duties for the German squad.

Former Century Motorsport pairing Charlie Robertson and Ravi Ramyead return to the series after competing in the Invitational class during the 2025 campaign. For 2026, the duo has joined French outfit L’Espace Bienvenue for a full-season assault in the BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

The Lotus Emira GT4 is set to make its GT4 Winter Series debut, as Blue Garage Racing fields the car for father-and-son pairing Pavel and Troy Sovička. The Czech duo were originally scheduled to debut last season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, but an incident during testing forced the team to withdraw from the event.

The AM class features a W&S Motorsport double entry, with American driver Tim Horrell joined on the grid by GT4 European Series contender Joachim Bölting. Sunder Motorworks will also compete in the category, entering husband-and-wife pairing Jose Garcia and Oana Gratiela in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.

Rounding out the field is the Club class, where BWT Mücke Motorsport returns with its Aston Martin. Thilo Goos, the reigning class champion, is set to return to the series after securing the category title last season.

Greystone GT, Team VRT, and GT Corse are also confirmed to make an appearance at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, adding further depth to the grid for the season-opening round.

Photo credit: Costa Chatzikonstantinou