Verstappen to make GT World Challenge debut at Portimao
The F1 world champion will take part in the season finale
Max Verstappen will make his GT World Challenge Europe debut next month, competing in the season finale at Portimao.
Rumours of a possible appearance by Verstappen at the GTWC season finale have circulated for some time.
Verstappen has also confirmed he will drive a 2 Seas-backed Verstappen Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo. Regular drivers Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella will not be present due to their WEC commitments to Genesis and Alpine, respectively.
Instead, Verstappen will be partnered by Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat. Lulham contested the Nürburgring 24 Hours alongside Verstappen earlier this year, while Barnicoat made a one-off appearance for 2 Seas in the GT World Challenge last year.
Verstappen is by no means the first F1 regular to contest the GTWC; Lance Stroll tackled the 2026 season opener at Paul Ricard in an Aston Martin.
This will be the latest in a long line of GT3 appearances Verstappen has made over the last year, the most prominent of which was the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, a race he has said he will "probably" contest in 2027.
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Armed with a familiar car and team-mate, this announcement is yet more proof of Verstappen's rapidly growing interest in endurance racing.
The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season finale will take place on the 18th of October.
Max Verstappen will make his GT World Challenge Europe debut next month, competing in the season finale at Portimao.
Rumours of a possible appearance by Verstappen at the GTWC season finale have circulated for some time.
Verstappen has also confirmed he will drive a 2 Seas-backed Verstappen Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo. Regular drivers Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella will not be present due to their WEC commitments to Genesis and Alpine, respectively.
Instead, Verstappen will be partnered by Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat. Lulham contested the Nürburgring 24 Hours alongside Verstappen earlier this year, while Barnicoat made a one-off appearance for 2 Seas in the GT World Challenge last year.
Verstappen is by no means the first F1 regular to contest the GTWC; Lance Stroll tackled the 2026 season opener at Paul Ricard in an Aston Martin.
This will be the latest in a long line of GT3 appearances Verstappen has made over the last year, the most prominent of which was the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, a race he has said he will "probably" contest in 2027.
Sign up for The Pit Stop Endurance
Incredible stories from across the world of endurance racing
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Armed with a familiar car and team-mate, this announcement is yet more proof of Verstappen's rapidly growing interest in endurance racing.
The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season finale will take place on the 18th of October.
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