Ferrari and Mercedes came out on top as the most varied field in GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup history raced at Brands Hatch.

A huge 30-car grid made up of 10 manufacturers competed in a pair of hour-long contests on the 2.4-mile Grand Prix loop.

The Ferrari 296 of Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril triumphed in the opening race, before reigning champions Maro Engel and Lucas Auer (Mercedes-AMG) won the second encounter.

Rovera pitted a lap later than his closest rivals after running third early on in race one, and a clear track and quick stop allowed Abril to rejoin just ahead of the Ferrari 296 of Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen, which had led before the stops.

Engel and Auer finished sixth in the first race but took a commanding victory in race two, repeating their 2024 success at the venue after starting from pole position.

Rovera and Abril finished 11th on the road but were handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping them to 19th.

This year’s grid was the largest seen at Brands Hatch since 2017, when 34 cars entered.

The winning brands were joined by BMW, Audi, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren and Aston Martin.

The circuit will host round two of the British Touring Car Championship this weekend (May 10-11).

Adult tickets for Sunday cost £35 in advance or £50 on the gate, with under 13s going free. Click here for more details.