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 will share the No. 3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with regular driver and sim racing teammate Chris Lulham and experienced GT racer Ben Barnicoat in the three-hour Endurance Cup race, competing in the top Pro class.
The entry is a direct result of a scheduling conflict with the World Endurance Championship race in Barcelona, a replacement for the cancelled 6 Hours of Qatar. Regular Verstappen Racing drivers Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are fulfilling factory commitments in Spain — Juncadella for Genesis in the Hypercar class and Gounon for Alpine — prompting team owner Verstappen to step in during a gap between Formula 1 triple-headers. The No. 3 car is operated by 2 Seas Motorsport under the Verstappen Racing banner and is powered by a 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V8 producing roughly 550 horsepower, the same chassis used throughout the Sprint and Endurance Cup seasons.
Organized by SRO Motorsports Group, GT World Challenge Europe is widely regarded as the pinnacle of GT3 racing globally. The championship is split into the Sprint Cup, with two 60-minute races per weekend, and the Endurance Cup, which features three-, six- and 24-hour races. While the DTM and IMSA SportsCar Championship's GTD Pro class also offer fierce competition, many team bosses view the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup as the toughest GT3 championship, with around 20 cars capable of challenging for the overall win in fields of 50 to 60 entries. The grid is divided into four classes based on FIA driver categorizations — Pro, Gold, Silver and Bronze — and features homologated machinery 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, GT3 cars feature closed cockpits and production-based architecture, with ABS and traction control permitted while ESP and fully automatic transmissions are banned.
Verstappen previously drove an AMG GT3 at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, where only a technical problem prevented an overall victory on debut, but the set-up in GTWC Europe differs. At the Nurburgring, specific ride height restrictions, wing angles and suspension geometry are mandated due to the circuit's unique profile, whereas GTWC Europe allows slightly more set-up freedom. As a three-hour Endurance Cup race, Portimao will see each driver complete roughly a one-hour stint, unlike Sprint Cup events where a one-hour race is split between two drivers. GTWC Europe events also strictly feature GT3 cars, unlike the multi-class environment of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and function closer to extended sprints on modern grand prix circuits.
His presence brings unprecedented global attention, as an active F1 world champion competing mid-season in another top-level discipline is a rarity in modern motorsport. The Portimao grid features nearly 60 GT3 cars stacked with factory drivers and GT specialists, including MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi — who has raced GT3 cars full-time since 2022 in a factory-supported BMW M4 GT3 for Team WRT and will be without regular teammate Dan Harper due to the same WEC conflict. Other notable competitors include 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 with Christopher Haase after their wheel-to-wheel battles in Nurburgring Nordschleife preparation races earlier this year. Verstappen Racing is not in title contention, with the championship already secured by Winward Racing's No. 48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel at the previous round at the Nurburgring GP circuit.