Philippe Prette grants encore with Maserati
Philippe Prette in the No. 1 Maserati GT2 became the 2025 Am Class champion in the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, confirming the title he had already won in 2024. The Monegasque driver of the LP Racing team celebrated his triumph at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, in the fifth round of the season with a double overall victory. Prette dominated the scene, with the title coming as early as Saturday’s race by crossing the finish line first, also beating Pro Am Class drivers, and getting the points for mathematical certainty.
Behind him came the number 7 Maserati GT2 of Dinamic Motorsport with Mauro Calamia and Roberto Pampanini, who then won the Pro Am class. Prette then repeated himself on Sunday with another victory (third overall and eighth in class), while the second car of the House of the Trident retired after leaving the track when he was leading the race.
In Race 1, held on Saturday, Prette took advantage of the overall pole position to put himself in the lead, resisting the attacks of his rivals, building a considerable lead that reached up to 15 seconds by the time he entered the pit stops. Despite the penalty provided for the double win in the previous Misano race, Prette was able to return to the lead to maintain it until the finish line. In second place was the No. 7 Maserati GT2 of Calamia-Pampanini, who thus also took the win in the Pro Am class. Starting from the second row, they managed already during the first lap to climb one position to maintain it until the driver change. On the re-entry, with Calamia at the wheel, the Maserati car found itself third, but soon, with an overtaking move on the center straight, it moved into second position, which it then maintained until the checkered flag.
In Sunday’s second race, Calamia, in the No. 7 Maserati GT2, started from pole and began to push and gain advantage over his pursuers despite the entry of a Safety Car. When the driver change window opened due to light rain, the slippery asphalt betrayed Calamia who ended up with his wheels in the gravel and then against the track wall, forcing him to retire and abandon his hopes for the Pro Am Class title.
The victory in the class on Saturday, in fact, for Calamia-Pampanini had reopened the championship, but the problem in Race 2 handed their opponents the certainty of the title. Prette, on the other hand, started from fifth position overall (class pole position) and began a fine comeback that he completed after the second Safety Car came out, and from second place he made the decisive overtaking move that put him in the lead. His pace was superior to his rivals and he was therefore able to pass under the checkered flag first with a lead of more than seven seconds over the first of his rivals, celebrating his newly won title in the best way.
The last act of the season is also scheduled on the Iberian peninsula, October 10-12 at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.
Maserati strongly believes in the GT2 European Series championship and its potential, with a special focus on young drivers. The Trident company has, in fact, joined the new SRO GT Academy project, announced last June at Spa-Francorchamps.
