Ethan Brown Shows Strong Pace at Salzburgring in Penultimate ADAC GT Masters Round

Salzbergring, Austria - Singapore racing driver Ethan Brown delivered one of his strongest performances of his debut ADAC GT Masters season at the Salzburgring, showing competitive qualifying speed and impressive long-run race pace during the penultimate round of the 2026 championship.

Round 5 marked a standalone ADAC GT Masters event, with the championship headlining the weekend alongside several support categories. The Salzburgring presented a very different challenge to previous rounds, with its narrow layout, limited margin for error and exceptionally fast sections where the GT3 cars reached speeds of up to 265 km/h.

Driving the #19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for LIQUI MOLY Team Engstler, Brown enjoyed a positive weekend that demonstrated the progress he has made throughout his first full season of European GT3 competition.

In Race 1, Brown and teammate Tim Hutter produced a strong and consistent performance to secure ninth place, earning another Top 10 finish in the highly competitive ADAC GT Masters field.

Brown's pace was even more evident ahead of Race 2, qualifying the Lamborghini in an impressive seventh position. He was less than half a second from pole position and just one tenth of a second separated him from fourth on the grid, highlighting the extremely close competition at the front of the field.

“I was really happy with qualifying and with my pace across the weekend,” Brown said. “To be less than half a second from pole and only a tenth from fourth shows just how close it was. I felt much more comfortable in the car this weekend and felt that I performed at a much higher level. More importantly, our long-run pace was really strong, which gives me a lot of confidence.”

Starting Race 2 from seventh, Brown maintained his position through the opening stint and brought the car into the first pit stop still running strongly in P7. Unfortunately, the team's promising race came to a premature end when debris damaged the Lamborghini's oil cooler, forcing the car to retire.

Despite the disappointment, Brown left Austria encouraged by the overall performance and the significant step forward in both outright speed and race consistency.

“Obviously it was disappointing not to finish Race 2 because we were in a good position and had the pace to fight for a strong result,” Brown added. “But overall, I came away from Salzburgring really positive. I felt I drove well, our qualifying pace was competitive, and I was particularly happy with my pace over the longer race runs. It feels like everything I've been learning this season is starting to come together.”

The Salzburgring weekend represented another important milestone in Brown's foundation year in GT3 racing. With each circuit this season presenting a new challenge, the 21-year-old Singaporean has continued to build experience against one of Europe's most competitive fields of emerging GT drivers.

Brown will now turn his attention to the sixth and final round of the 2026 ADAC GT Masters season, taking place 9–11 October at the famous Hockenheimring in Germany, where he will look to carry the momentum and improved pace from Austria into the season finale.