Serrano and Kroll trade blows in Milan at Gran Turismo World Series, launching a season-long rivalry

Round 1 of the 2026 Gran Turismo World Series Manufacturers Cup came to life at the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in the heart of Milan, Italy, where a packed house gathered to witness the opening salvo of a new season. And while the field was one of the freshest in recent memory, the top step of the podium belonged to a very familiar name.

Defending champion Porsche arrived in Milan with ace driver Jose Serrano at the wheel, while Mazda and Subaru – runners-up in 2025 – returned eager to prove that last year’s success was no fluke. The Grand Final would be contested over six laps of Nürburgring Endurance II, a reverse-layout version of the legendary circuit that threads through the Grand Prix section before plunging into the Nordschleife. All three tire compounds were required, transforming the race into a high-speed chess match: softs lasting roughly one lap, mediums two, and hards three.

After a tense qualifying session, Serrano put the Porsche 911 GT3 R on pole. Alongside him on the front row was Germany’s Maximilian Kroll in the Ferrari 296 GT3, with Poland’s Mikolaj Sedziak in the Nissan GT-R Nismo and Jack Balding in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 completing the second row.

Track: Nürburgring Endurance II, 6 laps

The top four all started on mediums while the rest of the field chose hards. Serrano immediately set about building a gap, but Kroll and Sedziak refused to be shaken, showing remarkable composure for relative newcomers at this level. By the end of lap 1, the medium-shod leaders had opened a 4.8s advantage over the hard-tire runners, making it clear that strategy and timing would be decisive.

Lap 2 produced the first major move. On the long Döttinger Höhe straight, where the cars reached nearly 290 km/h, Kroll used the Ferrari’s slipstream to blast past Serrano and seize the lead. The crowd responded instantly. But Serrano wasn’t about to concede – he struck back through Quiddelbacher-Höhe, reclaiming the position with the kind of precise, ice-cold racecraft that has defined his career. The Porsche versus Ferrari duel was well and truly on.

Lap 3 saw Kroll answer in almost identical fashion, retaking the lead at the very same section of track. It was a brilliant piece of race craft – and perhaps a sign that the young German had been studying his rival in real time. At the end of the lap, both men switched to soft-compound tires, committing to all-out attack, while Sedziak and Balding opted for hards, choosing the conservative route to the flag.

The race now entered its most explosive phase. On lap 4, Serrano used the draft down Döttinger Höhe to retake the lead, only for Kroll to fire back once more through Quiddelbacher-Höhe – another perfectly timed, perfectly executed pass. At the end of the lap, both made their final stops onto hards for the run to the flag, with Sedziak and Balding briefly inheriting the lead before completing their own stops.

On lap 5, Serrano made one more decisive move on Döttinger Höhe, drafting into the lead and setting up a tense final lap. When it came, Kroll was right there – close enough to threaten, close enough to make the Porsche driver think hard about every braking zone. Quiddelbacher-Höhe arrived, and so did the Ferrari’s challenge. But this time, Serrano was ready. He positioned the Porsche perfectly on the inside line, leaving Kroll nowhere to go. A masterclass in defensive driving from the defending champion, and a moment that defined the race.

Serrano brought the Porsche home to take the checkered flag, opening the 2026 season exactly where he ended the last one – on top. Kroll’s stunning drive earned Ferrari 2nd and announced the young German as a genuine title threat. Balding completed the podium for Mercedes-AMG after a composed performance, while Sedziak brought the Nissan home in 4th. Mazda’s Pol Urra finished fifth, with Kylian Drumont claiming the final points-paying position for Audi.

With the win, Porsche leads the championship with six points, followed by Ferrari with five, Mercedes-AMG with four, Nissan with three, Mazda with two, and Audi with one.

“What a race with Max. I feel like I have a new rival," Serrano said. "He was in front of me, behind me. During the race, I was thinking, ‘Will you make a mistake already?’ but he never did. Congratulations to him, he deserved to win as well. And I really liked running the Nürburgring in reverse.”

Serrano may have struck first, but Kroll’s performance made one thing abundantly clear: the 2026 Manufacturers Cup has found its next great rivalry, and the season is only just beginning.