Ted Delaney
Paul Ricard gave TSR Autumn Multiclass 2026 a cold, grey fifth round, and while the forecast had threatened drizzle, the rain never arrived. That did not make life simple. The temperatures were low enough to make the circuit feel treacherous at times, with grip at a premium and every stint asking for patience as much as pace.
Across the three classes, the winners came in very different ways. Jonas Knoefel controlled LMP2 ELMS - PRO/AM from pole, Ranjiv Kalsi edged a tight LMGT3 - AM fight by just 2.520s, and Xander Huizing gave himself clear air in LMGT3 - PRO to add another important haul to his championship lead.
LMP2 ELMS - PRO/AM podium
🥇 Jonas Knoefel – Oreca 07 ELMS
🥈 Josh Castle – Oreca 07 ELMS
🥉 Mallt Belling – Oreca 07 ELMS
Knoefel was the class act in LMP2, starting from pole after a 1:43.604 in qualifying and then converting it into victory over 43 laps. He also set the fastest race lap in class with a 1:43.869, completing a clean sweep of the key performance markers.
Josh Castle followed him home in second, also completing 43 laps, but the final margin of 1:17.121 showed how firmly Knoefel had the race under control. Mallt Belling was classified third after completing seven laps, while the remaining listed LMP2 entries did not start.
LMGT3 - AM podium
🥇 Ranjiv Kalsi – Lexus RC F GT3
🥈 Per Tufvesson – Lexus RC F GT3
🥉 Richard Veenema – BMW M4 LMGT3
The closest winning margin of the day came in LMGT3 - AM, where Kalsi took the Lexus RC F GT3 to victory by 2.520s over Per Tufvesson. Kalsi started P3 and gained two places, keeping enough in hand to beat the class championship leader over 39 laps.
Tufvesson had shown his speed from the start of the evening, taking class pole with a 1:57.122 and then setting the fastest LMGT3 - AM race lap with a 1:57.470. Richard Veenema completed the podium in the BMW M4 LMGT3, making notable progress from a listed P9 start to finish third, 16.481s behind the winner. Francesco Perrelli was fourth, one lap down, after gaining four places from his listed starting position.
LMGT3 - PRO podium
🥇 Xander Huizing – Ferrari 296 GT3
🥈 Alan Axon – BMW M4 LMGT3
🥉 Tayyip Cihangir – Porsche 911 GT3 R
Huizing put the LMGT3 - PRO race in his pocket from the front. His qualifying lap of 1:56.857 secured pole, and from there he led the class result in the Ferrari 296 GT3, completing 39 laps and winning by 39.361s.
Behind him, Alan Axon gained two places from his listed P4 start to take second in the BMW M4 LMGT3. Tayyip Cihangir was only 0.700s further back in third, having gained three places in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Atakan Ünlü produced the largest forward move in the class, climbing seven places from P11 to fourth, while BF81 Niğdem took fifth and set the fastest LMGT3 - PRO race lap with a 1:57.433.
Championship picture
In LMP2 ELMS - PRO/AM, Ciro Iadicicco remains on top with 138 points despite not appearing on the Paul Ricard result sheet. Knoefel’s 36-point win moves him to 105 points, reducing the gap to 33 points. Castle is third on 85 points, 20 behind Knoefel, with Tomas Stanek fourth on 76 and Asim Tugay fifth on 63.
LMGT3 - AM is still led by Tufvesson on 201 points, but Kalsi’s win keeps him firmly in the title conversation. Francesco Perrelli sits second on 174 points, 27 behind Tufvesson, while Kalsi is third on 147, another 27 points back. Edmunds Simanis is fourth on 82, just ahead of Veenema on 80.
In LMGT3 - PRO, Huizing’s Paul Ricard victory strengthens his lead at the head of the standings. He now has 144 points, with Axon second on 103, a gap of 41. Ian Paskin remains third on 93 points, Mehmet Şenocak is fourth on 88, and fatih sarı is fifth on 81.
Martin's strategy notes
Martin Cross
- Knoefel’s LMP2 win was built on outright pace and execution: pole, fastest lap in class, 43 completed laps and a 1:17.121 winning margin over Castle.
- LMGT3 - AM was much tighter. Tufvesson had pole and the fastest class race lap, but Kalsi’s climb from P3 to first mattered more, leaving him 2.520s clear at the flag.
- The strongest listed gains came from Atakan Ünlü in LMGT3 - PRO, up seven places to fourth, and Richard Veenema in LMGT3 - AM, up six places to third. Both turned difficult starting positions into strong points.
- No penalties are listed in the supplied results, so the story here is clean pace, track position and who handled the cold conditions best.
Next up is Round 6 at Algarve, Portimao, on Monday 19 October 2026 at 18:30 UTC. Until then, you can read the full results and check the championship standings.