PORTIMAO — Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is set to make his GT World Challenge Europe debut in this weekend's season finale at Portimao, returning to the cockpit of the Mercedes-AMG GT3. The Red Bull driver impressed on the Nurburgring Nordschleife earlier this year, where only a technical problem prevented an overall victory on his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut.
Verstappen will share the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, operated by 2 Seas Motorsport, with regular driver and sim racing team-mate Chris Lulham and experienced GT racer Ben Barnicoat, who both come in as substitutes. The entry follows a scheduling conflict with the World Endurance Championship race in Barcelona, staged as a replacement for the cancelled 6 Hours of Qatar, where regular Verstappen Racing drivers Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are required; Juncadella is competing for Genesis in the Hypercar class while Gounon represents Alpine. As Portimao is a three-hour Endurance Cup race, each driver will complete roughly a one-hour stint, unlike Sprint Cup events where two drivers split a 60-minute race.
Organised by SRO Motorsports Group, the GT World Challenge Europe is widely regarded as the pinnacle of GT3 racing globally and is divided into the Sprint Cup, featuring two 60-minute races per weekend, and the Endurance Cup, which consists of three-, six- and 24-hour races. Verstappen will compete in the top Pro class within a four-class structure based on FIA driver categorisations — Pro, Gold, Silver and Bronze — in fields of 50 to 60 entries where around 20 cars can realistically challenge for the overall win. The grid features homologated GT3 machinery derived from road-going sports cars, including the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, BMW M4 GT3 Evo, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Audi R8 LMS GT3, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, McLaren 720S GT3 Evo and Ford Mustang GT3. Unlike Formula 1, the closed-cockpit, production-based cars permit ABS and traction control but ban ESP and fully automatic transmissions. Verstappen's car is powered by a 6.3-litre naturally-aspirated V8 producing roughly 550 horsepower and is the same chassis used throughout the Sprint and Endurance Cup seasons, albeit with slightly more set-up freedom than the mandated ride height, wing angles and suspension geometry required at the Nurburgring.
Verstappen's presence brings unprecedented global attention to the championship, with an active F1 world champion competing mid-season in another top-level discipline a rarity in modern motorsport. He will share the Pro class track with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who has raced GT3 cars full-time since 2022 and lines up in a factory-supported BMW M4 GT3 for Team WRT without regular team-mate Dan Harper due to the same WEC clash. The near 60-car grid is stacked with factory drivers and GT specialists including DTM champions Thomas Preining, Mirko Bortolotti, Maximilian Goetz and Marco Wittmann, endurance specialists Patric Niederhauser, Markus Winkelhock, Franck Perera, Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and multi-time GTWC champion Charles Weerts, plus BMW factory driver Tim Tramnitz and Arthur Leclerc, brother of Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc. Verstappen will also reunite on track with Christopher Haase after their wheel-to-wheel battles during Nurburgring Nordschleife preparation races earlier this year.
Verstappen Racing are not in contention for the title, which has already been secured by Winward Racing's #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel at the previous round at the Nurburgring GP circuit. While both series use GT3 machinery, GTWC Europe events strictly feature GT3 cars on track, unlike the multi-class environment of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and its three-hour races function closer to extended sprints on modern grand prix circuits.