Fuoco, driving a Ferrari 296 GT3, was never truly threatened during the 16-lap contest and took the chequered flag for AF Corse SRL with a winning margin of 3.960s.

Two-time FIA GT World Cup winner Raffaele Marciello finished second for BMW with Porsche-driving Laurin Heinrich making it three different Pirelli-equipped manufacturers in the top three as Audi-powered Joel Eriksson finished fourth.

“Coming here after last year was tough but, in the end, it was a perfect weekend," said Italian driver Fuoco. "We can never ask for something better than this and I’m just so happy for me, for the team and everyone, we really deserved this. It has been a really intensive season but this is something we’ll remember for many years.”

There was action from the outset when Alessio Picariello spun his Porsche exiting the first corner after a brush with Marciello as the pack jostled for position.

Ayhancan Güven, who’d just demoted the slow-starting Yifei Ye for third, then crashed into the tyre barriers at Lisboa Bend following contact with Heinrich.

Unable to take avoiding action, Luca Engstler charged into the back of Güven’s stranded Porsche with Dorian Boccolaci colliding with the rear of Engstler’s Lamborghini to trigger a safety car intervention.

Racing resumed on lap four with Fuoco pressing home his advantage to score the first FIA GT World Cup win by a non-German manufacturer.

Chinese driver Ye, who’d started second in his Ferrari, finished fifth with Sheldon van der Linde coming through from 12th to claim sixth.