Vincent Abril

Vincent Abril is a French racing driver who most recently competed with Bentley in different GT championship and then joined Akka ASP to drive Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2019. Abril became a Bentley driver in 2015 when he won the Blancpain Sprint Series together with Maxi Buhk.

Earlier in a career, Abril spent two seasons with Audi in GT competitions and two seasons in the French Seat Leon Supercopa.

Vincent Abril

Entering car racing at the age 16

Born in March 1995 in Ales, Vincent Abril spent few years in karting competitions before switching to car racing in 2011. At the age 16, he entered the French Seat Leon Supercopa with the Team Speedcar, finishing 14th in the points with one podium.

He stayed one more season in the same competition, winning two races and finishing fourth in the points. He also made two starts in the Spanish edition of Seat Leon Supercopa, scoring one podium.

Vincent Abril (left) and Dino Lunardi in 2013

Switching to GT racing in 2013

In 2013, Team Speedcar recruited Abril into the French GT Championship. He was sharing the #36 Audi R8 LMS with Sebastien Cabirou (two rounds) and Dino Lunardi (five rounds), scoring three wins and finishing fourth in the final standings. Abril also joined Speedcar in one race of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

In 2014, Abril stayed with Speedcar in the French GT Championship and joined Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to drive the #4 Audi R8 LMS full season in the Blancpain Sprint Series. In the national championship, he was on a podium just once, finishing 12th in the points. In the Blancpain Sprint Series, he was 12th in the overall points and Silver Cup champion, together with Mateusz Lisowski.

Vincent Abril and Maxi Buhk were 2015 Blancpain Sprint Series champions

Blancpain Sprint Series champion in 2015

For the 2015 season, Abril joined Bentley Team HTP to drive Bentley Continental GT3 both in the Blancpain Sprint Series and Blancpain Endurance Series. He became Sprint Series champion together with Maximilian Buhk, scoring four wins in the #84 Bentley.

In the Endurance Series, his co-drivers in the #84 Bentley were Mike Parisy and Harold Primat. Without wins or podiums, they finished 20th in the points. Abril also made two starts in the ADAC GT Masters with Bentley Team HTP.

Vincent Abril is a Bentley factory driver since 2016

Bentley factory driver since 2016

In 2016, Abril has been promoted to Bentley's factory team, operated by Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport. Abril became the youngest Bentley Boy and competed in the Blancpain GT Series, driving the #7 Bentley Continental GT3 both in the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup.

His Sprint Cup partner was Steven Kane. The third driver in the Endurance Cup was Guy Smith. The season was pretty unsuccessful, without wins or podiums.

Vincent Abril is the youngest among Bentley Boys

Second place in the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup

In 2017, Bentley Boys improved their performance and Abril finished as a vice-champion in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. He was sharing the #8 Bentley with Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet. They were race winners at Circuit Paul Ricard and finished second at Spa 24 Hours.

In the Sprint Cup, Abril and Steven Kane scored two podiums in the #7 Bentley, finishing sixth in the final standings. In 2017, Abril also joined Absolute Racing to drive Bentley in the Pirelli World Challenge but without notable results.

Abril stayed with Bentley Team M-Sport in 2018, sharing the #8 Bentley Continental GT3 with Maxime Soulet and Andy Soucek in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. They were only 26th in the points after five races.

Moving to Akka ASP Mercedes in 2019

For the 2019 Blancpain GT Series season, Abril joins French team Akka ASP to share the #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with defending champion Raffaele Marciello.

Photos: Vincent Abril,