Monza (IT), June 1, 2026 – During the second round of the GT4 European Series, Michiel Haverans and Sam Paley claimed their first podium finish together for TeamFloral. At the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the Ford Racing Driver Development Team duo delivered a strong performance throughout a weekend marked by intense racing, extreme temperatures, and spectacular on-track incidents.
A promising start through practice and qualifying
The free practice sessions already showed that TeamFloral had taken a clear step forward compared to the season opener at Paul Ricard. In qualifying, Sam Paley posted the ninth-fastest lap before Michiel Haverans secured an impressive fifth position. Those performances provided the team with confidence heading into the races.
Second place after an intense battle
Sam Paley took the start of the opening race on Saturday. The race was neutralised early on by a safety car following several incidents. The action remained intense after the restart, but the young American kept a cool head, successfully avoided the chaos, and steadily worked his way forward through the field.
After the driver change, Michiel Haverans continued that momentum with impressive race pace. He quickly established himself among the leading group and became involved in a thrilling battle featuring seven cars in the closing stages of the race.
In a direct fight with the SR Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4, the battle remained undecided until the chequered flag. Ultimately, TeamFloral’s Ford Mustang GT4 fell just 0.156 seconds short of victory, but the strong performance was rewarded with a place on the second step of the podium.
Competitive once again on Sunday
The second race of the weekend proved equally dramatic around the Italian circuit. Both Haverans and Paley managed to remain focused despite the challenging conditions and high temperatures. The duo crossed the finish line in ninth position but was later classified fourteenth after receiving a ten-second time penalty.
Although the final result did not fully reflect the pace shown on track, the weekend once again highlighted the competitiveness of the pairing and the continued progress being made by the team.
Confidence heading to Spa
“After the valuable learning experience at Paul Ricard, we wanted to confirm that we were moving in the right direction, and we achieved exactly that,” said team manager Jean-Marc Valckenaere. “Sam and Michiel showed what they are capable of behind the wheel of the Mustang GT4 under demanding circumstances. The podium finish is a well-deserved reward for all the hard work.”
With the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa next on the calendar, attention now turns to one of the most important weekends of the season. TeamFloral is looking forward to building on the momentum gained at Monza on home soil. The next round is set for June 25–27 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.