Magnussen retains championship lead with strong Misano performance

Luca Magnussen remains at the top of the McLaren Trophy Europe standings after another strong weekend at Misano World Circuit.

Young talent Luca Magnussen continued his impressive form in McLaren Trophy Europe as the third round of the GT4 championship took place at Italy's Misano World Circuit. Despite a challenging weekend, the 16-year-old Dane and his Paddock Motorsport teammate, Callum Davies, managed to retain the lead in the Pro championship.

Misano was yet another new circuit for Magnussen, who arrived with no previous experience beyond simulator laps. Just as he had done at the opening two rounds of the season, however, the Danish youngster quickly came to grips with the track, and by the fourth and final practice session, he and Davies had set the fastest time in the Pro class.

That promising pace carried into Saturday's race. After a difficult qualifying session left the McLaren duo 11th on the overall grid, they produced an impressive recovery drive to finish second in the Pro class, crossing the line just four seconds behind the race winners.

Sunday's race proved more difficult. Starting fifth in the Pro class, Magnussen and Davies struggled to match Saturday's pace on worn tyres and ultimately finished sixth. The result was nevertheless enough to ensure the pair retained the lead in the McLaren Trophy Europe Pro standings after three rounds.

"It was a really good weekend overall. Once again, we arrived at a track that was completely new to me, so it was great to get up to speed quickly and come away with another trophy. The team did a fantastic job finding a strong setup for the car. Saturday was really good, while Sunday was a bit more challenging, but the most important thing was that we managed to stay on top of the championship. We'll analyse everything we've learned this weekend and come back even stronger in Barcelona," said Luca Magnussen.

With the third round completed, the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe season now enters its decisive phase. Luca Magnussen and Callum Davies continue to lead the Pro championship ahead of the fourth round at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 3–4 October, before the season finale takes place at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on 17–18 October.