Portimão

Autódromo Internacional do Algarve | 18–19 April 2026

Aston Martin began the 2026 International GT Open season with a useful and credible result at Portimão. Blackthorn’s Aston Martin, driven by Charles Bateman and Henrique Chaves, did not challenge for the outright win, but it did take Pro-Am victory in Race 2 and left the Algarve leading the Pro-Am standings.

This was not an outright headline for the whole championship, but it was a meaningful Aston Martin weekend. In FTP terms, it is exactly the kind of result worth preserving properly: a strong class outcome, a useful start to the season, and an early sign that Blackthorn can give the page a genuine thread to follow.

Aston Martin’s International GT Open page is likely to be driven more by class success than outright championship leadership, and that is perfectly fine. The important thing is that the page clearly tracks where Blackthorn’s Aston Martin sits, where it is winning, and whether that early Pro-Am momentum continues.