+ Martin and Waberski out to defend GT3 advantage
+ 11 points cover GT4’s top four crews
+ Provisional entry list: Snetterton
British GT 2026 passes half-distance this weekend at Snetterton where two 60-minute sprint races will establish the pecking order for the late season run-in.
Just two endurance events, first at Donington and then Brands Hatch, follow the championship’s East Anglian outing, which has a habit of producing edge-of-the-seat action across both GT3 and GT4.
The latter class is currently wide open. Just 11 points separate season-long leaders Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson (Innovation Racing) from Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner in fourth after Grange/FSR’s duo claimed back-to-back wins at Oulton and Spa.
GT3 is by no means a foregone conclusion, either. Indeed, Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski first hit the front by winning in Belgium last time out. Barwell’s Lamborghini – a combination that has traditionally performed strongly at Snetterton – starts 11.5 points clear of Morgan Tillbrook and Ben Barnicoat (Optimum Motorsport) but will, just like Grange/FSR, have maximum Compensation Time to contend with in the first of Sunday’s races.
Both of those, warm-up and Saturday’s four qualifying sessions are live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel and app, while Sky Sports F1 will have as-it-happens coverage of Sunday’s action.
GT3: Barwell’s Silver-Am combo setting the pace
No Silver-Am crew has ever won the British GT title outright. But that could change this season if Alex Martin and Jarrod Waberski can maintain the strong form that has propelled them to the head of GT3’s standings over the first half of 2026.
Barwell’s #78 Lamborghini is the only entry to have scored double digit points in all four races so far, while a first win together last time out at Spa leaves its drivers with a relatively healthy 11.5-point cushion over the chasing pack headed by Morgan Tillbrook and Ben Barnicoat.
2 Seas and Mercedes-AMG, in particular, have become the dominant force at Snetterton in recent times. But Barwell’s Huracans are also handy around the former RAF airfield where the combination has won eight times over the last decade.
10 seconds extra in the pits on Sunday morning will undoubtedly hinder Martin and Waberski’s chances of adding a ninth, at least in Race 1. But there’s no such handicap hanging over the sister car shared by Rob Collard and Hugo Cook who remain in title contention despite the Silverstone DNF that leaves them 25 points – the same number as a sprint win is worth – adrift of top spot.
Tillbrook and Barnicoat’s best chance of adding a second win to their 2026 tally will also come in Race 2 thanks to five seconds of Compensation Time accrued for finishing third at Spa, while Orange/JMH duo Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton – who are a point clear of Collard and Cook – will have seven additional seconds to contend with during their Sunday morning pitstop.
The consistency of that McLaren has been one of this year’s under-the-radar talking points. But the same is also true of Century’s BMW shared by Jonathon Beeson and Charles Clark who remain third overall and within 20 points of the lead thanks to points-paying results in all four races so far.
But fortunes can change very quickly in British GT. Just ask Beechdean’s Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn who claimed two pole positions at Oulton before heading to Spa as championship leaders. One non-score later and the Aston Martin finds itself sixth overall and 26 points shy of top spot.
Snetterton does at least hold fond memories for both drivers and the team: Howard took his last British GT win there during his title-winning 2015 season, while the same race is also notable for Gunn sealing the GT4 drivers’ crown.
Elsewhere, it would appear to be now or never for Kevin Tse and Ben Green who were firmly amongst the pre-season title favourites but currently lie 42 points adrift of Martin and Waberski. Fortunately, Snetterton has been a happy hunting ground for Tse – a winner there over the past two years – and Mercedes-AMG which hasn’t failed to taste victory in Norfolk since 2020.
GT4: No room for error in four-way title scrap
2026 is trending towards a blockbuster GT4 finale if the first three events are anything to go by. 11 points separate the four leading contenders with as many races remaining, while the top two head to Snetterton 1.5 apart.
Championship leaders Thomas Holland and Hadley Simpson began the campaign in style by winning on Innovation’s British GT debut at Silverstone before two more podiums, both in Oulton’s sprint races, followed.
But that run wasn’t enough to shake off Jessica Hawkins and Will Orton whose three consecutive second place finishes helped maintain the MK Racing Aston Martin’s title challenge. And finishing one place ahead of Innovation’s Ginetta at Spa nudged them even closer to Holland and Simpson.
Jack Collins and Branden Templeton complete an all-Silver crew top three covered by 6.5 points. Consistency has also been key to their challenge, which has been built around victory at Oulton. Another this weekend at a circuit where Century’s BMWs have won in three of the last four seasons would not come as a surprise.
None of the overall top three have additional Compensation Time in Race 1 – the first occasion that has happened since the season opener. However, the extra Silver pitstop handicap will hinder Century and MK whose cars will be stationary for an extra 10 and five seconds, respectively.
Partially or even fully negating that handicap is rare but by no means impossible, as proven by Grange/FSR’s Aston Martin which overcame the extra handicap at Spa to make it two wins in as many races. Those results almost entirely account for Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner now occupying fourth overall after scoring just six points across the first two races. 10 seconds extra on Sunday morning will again compromise their chances of further reducing the arrears to Innovation et al.
Josh Stanton’s total stationary pitstop length is even more substantial due to the combination of Compensation and Silver time. Still, it’s a small-ish price to pay after the disappointment of Oulton Park gave way to Spa’s pole position and second place finish. His Optimum team and the McLaren Artura have been winners at Snetterton for the past three years but will likely have to wait until Race 2 for a chance to maintain the streak.
He also has a new co-driver this weekend, and until the end of the season, in the shape of George Gamble. The BTCC race winner and 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup GB champion made his only previous British GT appearance at Rockingham in 2017.
Expect Toro Verde’s Ginetta shared by Luke Shaw and Jack Mitchell to also feature near the sharp end. But while Sunday’s races are very much sprints, the latter will again be favouring an endurance format en route to Snetterton as he continues to raise money for the BRDC Motor Sport Charity by running from his home in Oxfordshire to Norfolk – a distance of 104 miles. If that wasn’t enough, team personnel are encouraged to join Jack for a jog around Snetterton this Friday evening as part of a new initiative: British GT Run Club.
Donations to the charity, which supports mental health and wellbeing within the motorsport community, can be made via justgiving.com/page/jackmitchellx.
SNETTERTON TIMETABLE
Friday 14 August
10:45 – 11:40: Test 1
13:50 – 14:45: Test 2
16:00 – 16:55: Test 3
Saturday 15 August
09:25 – 10:25: Free Practice
11:55 – 12:55: Pre-Qualifying
15:30 – 15:40: Qualifying 1 (GT3)
15:44 – 15:54: Qualifying 2 (GT3)
15:58 – 16:08: Qualifying 3 (GT4)
16:13 – 16:23: Qualifying 4 (GT4)
Sunday 16 August
09:45 – 10:00: Warm-up
11:35 – 12:35: Race 1
13:30 – 13:55: Pitwalk + autograph session
16:00 – 17:00: Race 2
LAP RECORDS
GT3 – 1m46.116s – Marvin Kirchhöfer – Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo – 2023
GT4 – 1m56.181s – Charlie Robertson – Century Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 Evo – 2025
PITSTOP SPECIFICS – ONE-HOUR RACE
GT3 cars must make their mandatory driver change at 22-32 minutes, while GT4’s pit window is 28-38 minutes.
Mandatory Pitstop Times (pit-in to pit-out)
GT3: 75s | GT4: 105s
Pitstop Compensation Time
Each class’ top three finishers from the previous round must be stationary for additional time during their mandatory pitstop.
10s – #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini – Martin/Waberski
07s – #67 Orange/JMH McLaren – Orange/Clutton
05s – #77 Optimum Motorsport McLaren – Tillbrook/Barnicoat
10s – #27 Grange/FSR Aston Martin – Lavery/Turner
07s – #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren – Stanton/Gamble
05s – #42 Toro Verde Ginetta – Shaw/Mitchell
Additional pitstop compensation time applies to the top three GT4 Silver class finishers from the previous race.
15s – #59 Optimum Motorsport McLaren – Stanton/Gamble
10s – #24 Century Motorsport BMW – Templeton/Collins
05s – #21 MK Racing Aston Martin – Hawkins/Orton
