New Chapter 2026: New Partnership with BWT & Windhager for Emil Frey Racing

Emil Frey Racing is set to embark on an exciting new chapter in international GT racing for the 2026 season, joining forces withBWT – Best Water Technology – and Windhager – Best Heating Technology. This partnership unites a well-established racing team with two technology-driven Austrian companies, each synonymous with performance, innovation, and sustainability – brought together by a shared mission: For You and Planet Blue.

On the sporting side, Emil Frey Racing will continue its campaigns in both the DTM and the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. The goal is to compete at the front of the field and build on the strong results achieved in recent seasons.

A visual highlight of the partnership is the new livery. The iconic BWT PINK combined with Windhager’s bold RED will define the team’s appearance throughout the 2026 season, symbolizing the strength and unity of this collaboration.

The team will field the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, which has been further developed in key areas. The focus is particularly on efficiency, car setup, and reliability to meet the demands of an intensive racing season.

Driver performance and experience are central to the project. Matteo Cairoli will compete with car #14, playing a key role within the team. In the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, he will share the cockpit with Konsta Lappalainen. In the sister car #69, Ben Green and Thierry Vermeulen will share driving duties in the Verstappen.comentry.

BWT – Best Water Technology – is the market leader in water treatment, delivering solutions across the entire water cycle. Guided by its vision “Change the World – sip by sip,” the brand’s distinctive PINK represents innovation, responsibility, and positive change. In motorsport, BWT leverages its platform to promote sustainable water consumption and help reduce single-use packaging.

Windhager – Best Heating Technology – complements this approach as a provider of advanced heating systems focused on energy efficiency, emission reduction, and sustainability under the motto “Purest Heating”. With WindhagerNXT, the company introduces a new generation of innovative heat pump solutions.

The partnership will also be visible within the DTM environment: BWT serves as the Official Water Partner of the ADAC, while Windhager joins as a new DTM partner, making its first appearance in motorsport alongside Emil Frey Racing.

The season opener will take place from April 24 to 26, 2026, at the Red Bull Ring, marking the beginning of this exciting collaboration under competitive conditions.

“In 2026, we are taking the next step together with Emil Frey Racing. The team stands for the same values we follow at BWT and Windhager: top performance and a strong focus on sustainable solutions. With Matteo Cairoli and Konsta Lappalainen, we have drivers who can deliver this ambition on track. Through our “Driving Change” campaign, we are making this approach visible and tangible in the DTM – both on and off the track.”
Anna Grubeck, Head of Sports Sponsoring BWT.

“Our goal is clear: in 2026, we want to consistently fight at the front of the field and set new standards together with our partners BWT and Windhager – both in performance and technology. With a strong team, experienced drivers, and innovative partners, we have a very solid foundation to achieve this.”
Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal Emil Frey Racing.

About BWT

The Best Water Technology Group is the market leader in water technology. Around 6,500 employees work towards the goal of providing customers from private households, commerce and industry, hotels and municipalities with innovative, economic and ecological water treatment technologies, that guarantee maximum safety, hygiene, health and well-being in the daily use of water. BWT provides modern water treatment systems and services for drinking water, pharmaceutical and process water, heating water, boiler water, water for cooling and air conditioning systems as well as water for swimming pools.

All over the world our Research & Development teams, using state-of-the-art methods, work on new processes and materials with the aim of developing ecological and economical products. A key development issue is the reduction in the products’ use of operating resources and energy consumption and the resulting minimization of CO2 emissions. The declared goal of BWT is to make perfect quality drinking water available all over the world and to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bottles. That saves the complex transport, storage and disposal of single-use water bottles. BWT pays particular attention to sustainability, social responsibility and the careful use of limited resources in order to leave a beautiful, livable world for future generations – according to the claim: BWT – For You and Planet Blue.

More information about the group of companies at www.bwt.com

About Windhager

Windhager is Austria’s specialist for innovative heating solutions and has been a reliable manufacturer of innovative heating boilers for renewable energies worldwide for over 100 years. Based in Seekirchen near Salzburg, the company has always shaped the future of modern heating, driven by a pursuit of efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction, along with a strong commitment to ecological responsibility. More than 500 employees pioneer environmentally friendly heating and energy solutions for biomass and take heat pump technology to the next level under the brand WindhagerNXT.

As a visionary leader in the industry, Windhager is redefining combustion technology with its mission of PUREST HEATING, setting new benchmarks through technical excellence and pioneering Zero-Emission-Technology. Windhager's vision is to make the planet a livable place for future generations through sustainable action. Since 2024, Windhager – Best Heating Technology, in partnership with its sister company BWT, has been offering the perfect solutions for pure heating and pure water – For You and Planet Blue.

More information about the group of companies at www.windhager.com

About EMIL FREY RACING

Emil Frey Racing is a traditional Swiss motorsport team based in Safenwil. Founded in the 1960s on the foundations of the Emil Frey Group, the team looks back on decades of motorsport experience, ranging from formula and rally racing to endurance GT series. Today, Emil Frey Racing competes internationally, currently in the DTM as well as the GT World Challenge with the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

More information at www.emilfreyracing.com