Perera and Paul Return to Grasser With Bortolotti

Lamborghini factory drivers Franck Perera and Maximilian Paul will join Mirko Bortolotti in Grasser Racing Team’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS lineup this year, as the squad has become the latest to reveal its drivers for the Temerario GT3’s first season of competition this year.

Team stalwart Bortolotti has regularly been part of GRT’s lineup in the series since 2015 – winning the 2017 Endurance Cup title – and he will now reunite with Perera, who drove for Vincenzo Sospiri Racing in the category last year, but was part of GRT’s roster the previous season.

New Lamborghini recruit Paul raced for his family team last season but has previous GRT experience after being a DTM race winner in 2023 with the squad.

Both Bortolotti and Paul will also race in for GRT in the DTM this year, the first confirmed Temarario entries.

Team boss Gottfried Grasser says the Temerario gave “a good first impression” during its initial tests but added “there are still several areas which can be improved on.”

“With the Temerario GT3, Lamborghini has designed a state-of-the-art, latest-generation GT3 car, and we are confident that we will be able to achieve good results right from the start,” he added.

“With our lineup, we feel perfectly positioned for the upcoming learning year. Mirko, Franck, and Max are three long-standing associates of GRT – each of us knows the qualities of the others, and we all know what to expect from one another.”

Grasser described Bortolotti as “integral” to the team and the Italian, who was 14th in the DTM last season with the Abt squad, said: “I am delighted to be back with GRT and to be taking on the new challenge with the Temerario GT3 together.

“We have celebrated countless international successes together in the past and, with this combination, we also achieved the team’s best result to date in the DTM.

“We want to build on that, but we also know that for now the priorities will lie elsewhere with the new car.”

Paul said that “Gottfried’s trust means a lot to me” and said returning to GRT was “very special.”

“Going into the season with this team alongside Mirko is the best possible scenario for me,” said Paul.

Perera added: “This team has always meant a lot to me throughout my time with the manufacturer.

“For me, there could be no better way to start this new chapter with the Temerario GT3 – we have all the ingredients to write the next success story with the new car.”

GRT is one of three squads fielding the Temerario in the series this year and follows confirmation on Thursday of Vincenzo Sospiri Racing’s lineup for the Sprint Cup.

The Lamborghini stalwart finished runner-up in the Sprint Cup standings last year with Luca Engstler alongside new BMW recruit Jordan Pepper.