When a calendar clash forced regular drivers Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon to honor a World Endurance Championship commitment in Barcelona, the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Verstappen Racing suddenly needed a replacement. The team turned to its owner-driver, four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who accepted the seat for the season-ending GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup round at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao.
Verstappen arrived at the Algarve circuit on Thursday for a two-hour test, describing the experience as “a brilliant track and a great environment to come to for fans and families. It’s a very beautiful place.” The Dutch driver, who has previously raced at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, admitted that adapting to a substantially heavier GT3 machine required a learning curve. “My references are from the Nordschleife, so it took a bit of time to get used to driving the car at this track,” he explained, noting the car’s balance and the hot conditions that influenced tyre performance.
Car, teammates and the competitive field
The #3 entry is a Mercedes-AMG GT3 prepared for the Pro class, shared with Chris Lulham – a long-time sim-racing collaborator – and reserve driver Ben Barnicoat, Verstappen’s former karting rival from 2012. In the test session the trio posted the second-fastest time, only behind GetSpeed’s Mercedes run by Ralf Aron, Maximilian Gotz and Fabian Schiller. Verstappen highlighted that the GT World Challenge field is exceptionally deep, with roughly twenty cars capable of challenging for “The level shows why there are so many cars on the grid: you want to compete in one of the highest GT championships,” he said.
Beyond the #3 crew, the Portimao finale hosts motorsport icons such as MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi in the #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3, and a host of seasoned GT3 specialists. Although the championship title was already secured by Maro Engel, Lucas Auer and Luca Stolz at the Nurburgring, the race promises intense battling for the podium and valuable exposure for the newcomers.
Old rivalries, new ambitions
Verstappen’s participation rekindles relationships forged on the karting tracks of 2012, when he and Barnicoat regularly competed alongside future F1 stars Charles Leclerc, Dennis Olsen and Anthoine Hubert. “In go-karting we raced a lot against each other,” Verstappen recalled, adding that their careers diverged but the chance to share a car now feels special. With Lulham, the connection is more recent – the pair have spent countless hours together in virtual racing, and Verstappen praised his progress: “Chris is someone I’ve worked with a long time in the sim racing world and now he’s here competing for real.”
Looking ahead, Verstappen confirmed an ambition to appear at the 2027 Spa 24 Hours, once his F1 program no longer overlaps with the flagship endurance race. “I love Spa of course, so I’m trying to make it work, as I want to arrive well prepared,” he said, noting the circuit’s proximity to his Dutch-Belgian roots.
As the three-hour night race begins on Saturday, Verstappen summed up his mindset: “To have fun, obviously, but also the competitive animal wants to do well, right? We’re here to win. That’s always the target.” The combination of a world-class driver, a balanced GT3 platform and a supportive team could make the Portuguese finale a memorable chapter in his burgeoning GT career.
