Insight: How Ford’s EVO Package Has Made Mustang GT3 “More Versatile”
A deep-dive on Mustang GT3 EVO with Ford Racing's global sports car racing manager Alex Allmandinger...
Ford Racing, along with its partners Multimatic Motorsports and M-Sport, have left “no stone unturned” in the roll out of its EVO package for the Ford Mustang GT3 according to the brand’s global sports car racing manager Alex Allmandinger, who has provided a deep-dive into the new-for-2026 updates.
The Mustang GT3, which made its debut in the 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona, claimed its first victory in the Florida endurance classic one year later and will arrive at next month’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener with significant updates, both on the aerodynamic side and under the hood.
It comes after what’s now been nearly five years of development of the Mustang GT3, which has seen success in both North America and Europe in its first two seasons of competition.
“We left no stone unturned in identifying important areas of the car that we could make even stronger with continued development and refinement ,” Allmandinger tells Sportscar365. “This has been a laborious but rewarding process. Some of these upgraded parts date back to our first tests in the summer of 2024, which show that we’ve been methodical in delivering the best product to our customers.
“This being our first GT3 car, we learned a lot – especially in racing conditions against some of the world’s top GT racing teams. It has encouraged our Ford Racing engineering team to think long-term from the very beginning, highlighting areas where we had developmental opportunities to continue to improve the chassis.
“We not only focused on the factory team and the GTD Pro cars but also the customers, tailoring our Mustang GT3 platform to a wide range of drivers – from Bronze and Silver rated drivers, to our professionals.
“We’ve had tremendous experiences through the years with our Mustang GT4 platform and Ford GT program – from championships around the globe, to a 2016 Le Mans winning campaign. The Mustang GT3 is the perfect car between those two, where it competes at a factory and customer level.
“It’s been inspiring to see how much we’ve grown through the learning process, and it’s a point of pride seeing those development stages create success within our program.
Allmandinger says Ford and its partners have touched all the important aspects of the car for its first-ever GT3 EVO package, which centers around updated aero, brake, suspension and powertrain updates.
Some of the most visible updates come at the front of the car with the addition of dive planes, along with an all-new splitter and diffuser design. Nearly 20 percent of the suspension has also been changed, along with updates to the 5.4-liter Coyote V8 powertrain.
“Dive planes improve front downforce and the pitch stability on track, making the car less sensitive while braking into mid-corner to exit,” explains Allmandinger. “We’ve established a more stable aero platform for the car. The kinematics have improved in tandem to that as well, keeping the platform more stable.
“Much of our development over the last two seasons has revolved around collecting data at a variety of tracks across the globe. It’s important that the Mustang GT3 can operate within the window and is versatile at any track – from more technical courses to high-speed ones.
Allmandinger says aero enhancements have also been made in terms of the car’s interaction with others while in in traffic, a key talking point from several other GT3 manufacturers that have either built all-new cars or have also rolled out Evos for next year.
“There is a lot to be gained in performance when you consider how you make your downforce between the underbody and overbody,” he explains. “That impacts how effective drivers can be following in the trail of cars, and it is also a key contributor to pitch sensitivity and your aero platform.
“We considered how a car changes with different characteristics of motion, like entering the braking zone at the end of a straight. Those scenarios were key as we developed the aero package. Our goal was making the car less sensitive to following cars, pitch, and ride height changes. Ultimately, we added overall downforce while mitigating sensitivity.”
The second major area of development revolves around the brakes, and improving its performance and durability, especially over long-distance endurance races.
“We’re improving the cooling and performance not only by maximal capability but also through a 24-hour race,” says Allmandinger. “How you decrease wear and maintain performance through a long event is really important.
“It’s easy to look at a headline number and say, ‘We’ve gained this much time in a braking zone.’ We’ve taken a bigger-picture view – defining performance with a stint or an entire race, rather than a lap time. We will continually work to put our teams and customers in the best position to win at the end of the race.”
In addition to new suspension kinematics, Ford Racing and M-Sport have also made updates to the engine, which aims to provide a better customer experience.
“Power and reliability have been very strong,” says Allmandinger. “The tweaks we’ve made to the powertrain contribute to its quality of life, making it easier for customers to rebuild and maintain consistency through a grueling season.
“We’ve seen the [air] restrictors that series are running in Europe, which limits what we can actually make power-wise. That said, our priority was making a smoother operating car rather than maximizing power.”
With bits and pieces having been developed on the Mustang GT3 over the course of the last year, Allmandinger says he’s been pleased with how the entire EVO package has combined to increase performance and drivability.
Proof of the concept came in last month’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway, which saw both the factory Ford Multimatic Motorsports entries run in full EVO trim, as well as the newly introduced Myers Riley Motorsports entry in GTD.
“We’ve been testing everywhere at this point, and the feedback has been great,” says Allmandinger. “It’s hard to understate how much change has actually gone into the Mustang GT3.
“We focused on the entire package as a whole but were very calculated in our approach. We dedicated time, in our extensive testing regime, to each of those key areas individually.
“When everything comes together, especially in the last middle to end of this year, it’s a big difference. It really changes the performance of the car. The driver feedback, from the amateurs to the professionals, has been positive.
“We’ve tested everywhere, from Laguna Seca and Sebring to Portimão, collecting valuable data from a wide range of environments.”
Another key point is that that current Mustang GT3 customers can easily update their existing cars with the EVO and do not need to purchase an all-new car.
“It’s important that we help make this upgrade accessible and manageable for all our customers,” says Allmandinger. “We are delivering a kit, and not the expectation that teams need a new car entirely. As a customer-focused platform, we need to offer all our customers globally a path of least resistance in updating their Mustang GT3 – especially with the car now in its third year.”
With victories in the WeatherTech Championship, NLS as well as a first-ever championship title in ADAC GT Masters under its belt, Allmandinger says he’s excited to see what further gains the Mustang GT3 EVO will be able to deliver to its teams around the world next year.
“What I’ve been really proud of in 2025 is that we’ve found success at all different types of tracks,” he says. “We won at Daytona, which was significant because it proved that the Mustang GT3 is a capable platform. We’d also shown its versatility by winning the sprint race in Detroit, which was an incredibly special moment for Ford employees.
“We were already proud of the range of performance of the current car, but the drive never stops. The EVO now makes this Mustang GT3 even more versatile and capable of winning at every type of circuit.”
Photos: Wes Dunkel/Ford & Brandon Badraoui/IMSA