Max Verstappen to race in GTWC Portimão alongside Lulham and Barnicoat due to WEC Barcelona clash
Max Verstappen will race at the final GT World Challenge Europe round of the 2026 season in Portimão, joining Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat at the Portuguese circuit in mid-October. The Dutchman will race his No.3 Verstappen.Com Racing 2Seas operated Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in a three-hour endurance race, with each driver racing for an hour each.
The opportunity to race in the GTWC came up for Verstappen when the World Endurance Championship (WEC) announced their revised schedule, with the Barcelona round clashing with the GTWC. Drivers Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, who race in both championships, had to make a decision to compete in one or the other, with the WEC taking precedent over the regional GTWC Europe championship.
However, this news does come after the GTWC announced some adjustments to their timetable across the weekend in Portugal, leaving more time in the day for drivers racing at both events to make the journey between Barcelona and Portimão. Despite this, some drivers have opted to keep things simple and race in either one or the other.
Verstappen confirmed the news in a press conference at F1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, stating: "I know that two of my drivers won't be part of the line-up, so two other drivers need to step in and I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a busy seven weeks, but we'll do it and I enjoy it anyway. Let's see what we can do there."
The four-time F1 world champion's schedule will be busy throughout October, with Verstappen racing for six consecutive weekends, travelling all over the world from Malaysia this weekend, then to Singapore, back to Europe for the GT race in Portugal, then to the U.S, followed by Mexico and then Brazil, before a week off from racing and travelling.
The Dutchman last raced the No.3 Verstappen.Com Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, with Verstappen competing for the overall victory on his debut in the iconic German event. Unfortunately, the No.3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes would be forced to retire from the race with a mechanical issue.
Whilst the GTWC finale in Portimão may see some drivers absent from the paddock due to the scheduling clash with the WEC, the grid will be stacked with two motorsport icons. F1's Max Verstappen will now be racing against MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi in the Portuguese race, with 13 World Championships between them across two different disciplines, the pair now meet in a GT race.
The GTWC Endurance finale weekend in Portimão gets underway on Friday 16th October with Practice and Qualifying, before the endurance race begins on Saturday 17th October at 17:00 local time. The GTWC is available to stream for free on YouTube via GTWorld.
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