Max Verstappen to race in GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimão on October 17
Max Verstappen will contest the season finale of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão on Saturday, October 17, joining Valentino Rossi on the grid.
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion switches to GT competition for the three-hour Endurance Cup finale, taking the wheel of the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. Verstappen will share the car with full-season team driver Chris Lulham and British endurance racer Ben Barnicoat in an entry that will face a field of more than 60 GT3 cars representing 10 manufacturers; the race begins at 9:30 PM IST.
“I am looking forward to it,” said Verstappen. “It is going to be a busy seven weeks, but I will enjoy it. Let’s see what we can do at Portimão. I love the track and being in Portugal, so we will try to have a good weekend.”
Fans in India can watch the three-hour race live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel. Red Bull Motorsports YouTube will also provide a dedicated Max Verstappen onboard feed to offer a second-screen viewing option and a direct view of Verstappen in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Valentino Rossi will race the #46 BMW M4 GT3 Evo for Team WRT, sharing that car with Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen. Rossi retired from MotoGP at the end of 2021 and has since competed internationally with BMW in GT racing; his presence alongside Verstappen brings together two of motorsport’s most recognisable names from Formula 1 and MotoGP.
Verstappen has continued to pursue sportscar racing alongside his Formula 1 schedule, having earlier this year competed in the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring with Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer. He joins Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing’s endurance line-up for Portimão in place of regular drivers Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, who are unavailable because of a scheduling clash with the FIA World Endurance Championship finale in Barcelona.
Ben Barnicoat brings established GT experience to the #3 car; he previously raced for McLaren before joining Lexus in 2022 and won the GTD Pro class title in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2023 alongside Jack Hawksworth.
The three-hour Endurance Cup finale at Algarve International Circuit on Saturday, October 17, starts at 9:30 PM IST and will be available live to viewers in India on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.