In Race 1, Prette from the LP Racing team was on the top step of the podium in the Am Class.
Calamia & Pampanini, from Dinamic Motorsport, finished on the podium in Race 2.
In the opening race of the 2025 season of the GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli, four Maserati GT2s lined up on the starting grid and the House of the Trident immediately reaped a victory.
The Maserati GT2 number 1 for the LP Racing team – driven by Philippe Prette, reigning champion in the Am Class category – started the championship in the best possible way at the Circuit Paul Ricard (France).
The French driver, who races with an Italian licence, achieved success in his category in Race 1, starting from the front row. In Race 2, however, Mauro Calamia & Roberto Pampanini in the Dinamic Motorsport Maserati GT2 took third place overall and in the Pro Am Class.
In the first race, Prette got off to a great start, always remaining among the leaders and returning to fifth place overall after the pit stop. Even so, he still remained the leader in the Am Class, which he maintained until the finish line. Of the other three Maserati GT2s lined up at the start, the outstanding performance of Switzerland's Mauro Calamia – with the Dinamic Motorsport team and former winner of the Trofeo Maserati – is worth a mention. His teammate Roberto Pampanini, then in fourth place, handed the car over in ninth position, with a penalty for a false start. After making a second stop, Calamia finished seventh overall. The pair of French drivers from the TFT Racing team – Patrick Charlaix & Jordan Boisson – finished Race 1 in ninth place, fourth in the Am Class. LP Racing's no. 8 car driven by Anik Patel & Eddie Cheever III was forced to retire after becoming embroiled in an accident and could not even take part in the second stage.
Race 2, held in the rain, saw Calamia start strong from the off. He settled into fourth place, but in an attempt to improve his placing he came into contact with an opponent, going into a spin. He resumed the race immediately and began a comeback from the back of the group, before handing over the steering wheel ahead of the pit stop. This move meant Pampanini could return to the track in fourth place and in turn to finish off a determined race, in which he took the third step of the podium. A run-up race for Philippe Prette too, who started from the last row, but was penalised with a drive-through following a contact. In the end, he finished fourth in the Am Class, ahead of the sister car driven by Charlaix & Boisson, in the TFT Racing Maserati GT2.
The next round of the GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli is scheduled to take place in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, from 16 to 18 May.
Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: 'We're extremely proud to have demonstrated our racing DNA and nature of performance during the opening weekend of the GT2 European Series 2025! Seeing four cars on the starting grid, as well as the official Safety Car and Leading Car, makes us proud and epitomises the motorsport nature of our Brand. Now more than ever, we're delighted to offer our customers, teams and gentleman drivers a car with character, a perfect synthesis of advanced technology and performance at the highest levels: seeing the Maserati GT2 compete on the Circuit Paul Ricard and take the lead in the Am Class in Race 1 – confirming the result from the 2024 championship – takes us ahead into another season in which we're aiming to play a leading role'.Photo credit: Maserati posted on conceptcarz.com
