Rinat Salikhov (; born 15 December 1985) is a Russian racing driver competing for Winward Racing in GT World Challenge Europe.

Between 2014 and 2019, Salikhov competed in the Blancpain Endurance Series for Ferrari and Rinaldi Racing, achieving an overall podium finish at Monza and a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. In 2019, he won the Gulf 12 Hours overall for Attempto Racing. Salikhov returned to GT World Challenge Europe in 2025, driving a Mercedes-AMG for Winward Racing.

Career Salikhov made his racing debut in 2013, competing part-time for Rinaldi Racing in the V de V Michelin Endurance Series. The following year, Salikhov made his full-time racing debut, competing for Sportec Motorsport in Porsche Carrera Cup Italy, taking four points finishes and ending the year 14th overall. In parallel, Salikhov also competed in the first four rounds of the Blancpain Endurance Series for GT Corse by Rinaldi, sharing a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 alongside Marco Seefried and Vadim Kogay.

Continuing with Rinaldi for 2015, Salikhov and Norbert Siedler finished a historic second overall at Monza—also a Pro-Am win—in a season in which he went back and forth between the Pro and Pro-Am classes, ultimately finishing 12th in the latter's standings. After being downgraded to FIA Bronze ahead of 2016, Salikhov continued in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, dabbling between the Pro and Am classes, and scoring two podiums in the latter class at Spa and the Nürburgring. During 2016, Salikhov also made his Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup debut with the team at Barcelona, winning the main race in Pro-Am. Remaining in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup the following year, Salikhov made his full-season debut in Pro-Am, scoring a lone podium at Barcelona to finish 10th in points. During 2017, Salikhov also made one-off appearances with the team in International GT Open and the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, as well as finishing second overall at the Gulf 12 Hours.

Joining Alexander Mattschull for their second full-time season in Pro-Am the following year, Salikhov took class wins at Monza and the 24 Hours of Spa to secure a third-place points finish in class. During 2018, Salikhov also raced with Rinaldi for the majority of the International GT Open season, as well as making another one-off appearance in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup at the Nürburgring, winning the main race in Pro-Am. At the end of the year, Salikhov also represented Russia in the FIA GT Nations Cup alongside Denis Bulatov, finishing fourth in the only edition of the race. In 2019, Salikhov continued with Rinaldi for a dual programme in both the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe. Racing in the Silver Cup in the former, Salikhov scored a lone podium at Barcelona to take seventh in points, whereas in the latter, he and David Perel clinched three Pro-Am wins and two other podiums to secure runner-up honours in the class standings. During 2019, Salikhov also represented Russia at the FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup discipline, and won the Gulf 12 Hours overall for Attempto Racing together with Audi factory drivers Christopher Mies and Dries Vanthoor.

In 2020, Salikhov was set to return to Rinaldi for another dual campaign in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups, but the campaign was called off when an unspecified driver picked up an injury before the season and Rinaldi withdrew its No. 888 Ferrari. Returning to racing in 2022, Salikhov raced in SMP GT4 Russia for Yadro Motorsport, finishing sixth in the standings on his debut year before clinching the series title the following year with three wins to his name. At the beginning of 2024, Salikhov joined Porsche-fielding Proton Huber Competition to compete at the Dubai 24 Hour, a race in which he finished second overall alongside Sergei Borisov, Sven Müller and Viktor Shaytar. Salikhov then returned to SMP GT4 Russia for most of the year, before reuniting with Rinaldi Racing to race in the Gulf 12 Hours. At the end of the year, Salikhov joined Mercedes outfit Winward Racing to compete in the 2024–25 Asian Le Mans Series alongside Gabriele Piana. In his first season in the series, Salikhov won race two at Sepang and scored maximum points at Dubai to secure a third-place points finish.

At the beginning of 2025, Salikhov also raced with Winward in the Middle East Trophy, securing two GT3 Pro-Am podiums en route to runner-up honours in points. For the rest of the year, Salikhov stuck with the German-American team for a full return to the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups as a Bronze Cup entry. In the Endurance Cup, Salikhov scored a pair of second-place finishes at Monza and at the 24 Hours of Spa en route to a fourth-place points finish on his return to the series. In the Sprint Cup, Salikhov scored a Bronze Cup win at Magny-Cours and three other podiums to also end the season fourth in the standings. At the end of the year, Salikhov continued with the team to race at the Gulf 12 Hours, in which he finished fifth overall with Marvin Dienst and Piana.

The following year, Salikhov returned to Winward for the UAE leg of the 24H Series Middle East, as well as making a one-off appearance for BMW-affiliated Team WRT at the Abu Dhabi finale of the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series, finishing second in race one. For the rest of 2026, Salikhov continued with Winward for another dual campaign in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups. At Monza, Salikhov was on course for a repeat of 2015, the No. 87 Mercedes running second overall when Dienst was taken out in a late crash. In the Sprint Cup, Salikhov took class wins at Misano and Magny-Cours to secure runner-up honours.

Racing record Racing career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position2013 V de V Michelin Endurance Series – GT Rinaldi Racing 6 Hours of Vallelunga – GT Cup Sportec Motorsport 1 1 0 0 1 1st2014 Dubai 24 Hour – 997 MRS GT-Racing 1 0 0 0 0 DNF Porsche Carrera Cup Italy Sportec Motorsport 14 0 0 0 0 10 14th Blancpain Endurance Series – Pro-Am GT Corse by Rinaldi 4 0 0 0 0 0 NC2015 Blancpain Endurance Series – Pro-Am Rinaldi Racing 2 1 0 0 1 31 12th Blancpain Endurance Series – Pro 3 0 0 0 0 6 24th 24H Series – SP2 Sportec Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC2016 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Rinaldi Racing 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Am 2 0 0 0 1 39 11th Intercontinental GT Challenge – Am 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup – Pro-Am 2 1 0 0 2 31 5th2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Pro-Am Rinaldi Racing 5 0 0 0 1 42 10th Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup – Pro-Am 2 0 0 0 1 16 8th International GT Open – Am 2 1 0 0 2 0 NC† Gulf 12 Hours – GT3 Pro 1 0 0 0 1 2nd2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Pro-Am Rinaldi Racing 5 2 1 0 2 853rd International GT Open – Pro-Am 8 0 0 0 2 22 9th International GT Open – Am 2 1 1 1 2 10 11th Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup – Pro-Am 2 1 0 0 1 16.5 5th FIA GT Nations Cup Team Russia 1 0 0 0 0 4th2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup – Silver Rinaldi Racing 5 0 0 0 1 46 7th Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe – Pro-Am 10 3 3 0 5 102.52nd Italian GT Championship Endurance Cup – GT3 Pro 1 1 0 0 1 20 9th FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup Team Russia 1 0 0 0 0 7th Gulf 12 Hours – GT3 Pro Attempto Racing 1 1 0 0 1 1st 2022 SMP GT4 Russia Yadro Motorsport 9 0 0 0 3 138 6th 2023 SMP GT4 Russia Yadro Motorsport 12 3 0 2 5 2491st 2023–24 Middle East Trophy – GT3 Pro-Am Proton Huber Competition 1 0 0 0 1 36 NC2024 SMP GT4 Russia Yadro Motorsport 12 0 0 0 4 166 7th Gulf 12 Hours – Pro-Am Rinaldi Racing 1 0 0 0 0 5th 2024–25 Asian Le Mans Series – GT Winward Racing 6 1 1 0 2 653rd2025 Middle East Trophy – GT3 Winward Racing 2 0 0 0 2 562nd GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup – Bronze 5 0 0 0 2 61 4th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup – Bronze 8 1 0 0 4 63 4th Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC Gulf 12 Hours – GT3 Pro 1 0 0 0 0 5th2025–26 24H Series Middle East – GT3 Winward Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC Asian Le Mans Series – GT Team WRT 2 0 0 0 1 0 NC†2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup – Bronze Winward Racing * * Intercontinental GT Challenge * *GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup800000NC GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup – Bronze 8 2 0 2 6 832nd 2026–27 Asian Le Mans Series – GT Winward Racing * *Sources:

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points 2014 GT Corse by Rinaldi Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR NC 02015Rinaldi RacingFerrari 458 Italia GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H 12th 31 Pro SIL LEC NÜR 24th 62016 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 Pro MNZ SIL LEC NC 0 Ferrari 488 GT3 Am SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR 11th 39 2017 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT 10th 42 2018 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-Am MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT3rd85 2019 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Silver MNZ SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT 7th 46 2025 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo BronzeLECMNZSPA6HSPA12HSPA24HNÜRCAT 4th 61 2026 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Bronze LEC MNZ SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR ALG 4th* 58*

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points 2016 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-Am MISQR MISCR BRHQR BRHCR NÜRQR NÜRCR HUNQR HUNCR CATQR CATCR 5th 31 2017 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-AmMISQRMISCRBRHQRBRHCRZOLQRZOLCRHUNQRHUNCRNÜRQRNÜRCR 8th 16 2018 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-AmZOLQRZOLCRBRHQRBRHCRMISQRMISCRHUNQRHUNCRNÜRQRNÜRCR 5th 16.5 2019 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 Pro-Am BRH1 BRH2 MIS1 MIS2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 HUN1 HUN2 2nd 102.5 2025 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Bronze ZAN1 ZAN2 MIS1 MIS2 MAG1 MAG2 VAL1 VAL2 4th 63 2026 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Bronze MIS1 MIS2 MAG1 MAG2 ZAN1 ZAN2 CAT1 CAT2 2nd 83

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) + Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pos. Points 2024–25 Winward Racing GT Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 SEP1 SEP2 DUB1 DUB2 ABU1 ABU2 3rd 65 2025–26 Team WRT GT BMW M4 GT3 Evo BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Turbo I6 SEP1 SEP2 DUB1 DUB2 ABU1 ABU2 NC† 0†

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