Max reflects on GTWC race in Portimao: 'I had fun'

Published on 17 October 2026 by Niels Hendrix

Together with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, Max Verstappen took part in the final round of the GT World Challenge Europe championship, a three-hour endurance race in Portimão, Portugal. A penalty prevented a top-tier finish, even though the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry was fast. Max, who was behind the wheel for the final 45 minutes of the race, managed to climb from P24 to P9.

Afterward, Max shared his thoughts with us: “Overall, we have had a decent weekend. Unfortunately, we made a mistake with the setup of the car in qualifying, which meant that the car was sparking a little bit too much for performance. So, we didn’t qualify where we should have qualified. We adjusted the setup for the race and we were a lot more competitive.”

“Ben had a really great first stint staying out of the carnage at the start and driving us to the front. Chris also started his stint really strong, putting himself in a good position. But then, unfortunately, a little bit of an opportunistic move on the other car ahead meant that, of course, we received a deserved drive-through penalty.”

“That meant I had to go from P24 in my stint. But I had fun and the pace of our car was really good. It was very hectic with a lot of chaos around me to get to the front. But in the end, to finish ninth, recovering from that drive-through, I think was really strong. So overall, although it was not the result that we wanted, a lot has been learned and it was a positive weekend.”

1:18 and 1:43 scale models of the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car and Max’s GT3 helmet (1:2 and 1:4) are available here: https://store.verstappen.com/nl/c-17522