Max Verstappen in GT3: made up 15 places in 45 minutes

Max Verstappen made up 15 places in the closing stages following a penalty against his team-mate Chris Lulham – video captures the comeback

Max Verstappen’s debut in the GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe provided plenty of talking points during the Formula 1 break. Following a drive-through penalty for his team-mate Chris Lulham, the four-time Formula 1 world champion charged from 24th to ninth place in the final 45 minutes of the three-hour race at Portimão.

A debate subsequently flared up amongst fans: Were Verstappen’s 15 places gained the result of pure driving superiority, or was the Formula 1 superstar willingly waved through by slower GT3 cars in lower classes?

In the GTWC Europe, whilst the cars are all the same, there are four different classes, which are divided according to driver rating. (FAQ on Verstappen’s entry into the GTWC Europe) Consequently, suspicions quickly arose that drivers in other classes had willingly let Verstappen past as they were battling for class victory. Verstappen, Lulham and Ben Barnicoat naturally competed in the top class, the Pro Cup.

An Instagram video published by Red Bull now sheds some light on the matter. Admittedly, the compilation also includes a few lapping manoeuvres (such as against the Kessel Ferrari #74 or the Razoon Porsche #41), and early scenes from Verstappen’s stint are missing.

However, the footage clearly shows that the vast majority of overtaking manoeuvres involved positions won fairly in battles involving two or more cars. A highlight is a double overtaking manoeuvre at turns 10/11 and, of course, the overtaking manoeuvre against three Pro cars that were hindering one another.

A user claiming to be an employee of the SRO organisation comments: It was one of the most impressive stints he had seen in seven years of GTWC Europe.

Set-up errors in qualifying, “fireworks” in the race

Yet the weekend did not go smoothly at all for Verstappen and his team, Verstappen Racing (supported by 2 Seas Motorsport). Three minutes into the first free practice session, Verstappen collided with the experienced GT3 driver Ezequiel Perez Companc. Due to extenuating circumstances caused by a traffic jam, he received a warning and a penalty point.

In qualifying, the team got the set-up of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 wrong. “Unfortunately, we made a mistake with the set-up. The car was set far too low, hit the ground hard and kicked up a bit too many sparks. That hampered our performance and we didn’t finish where we actually belong,” admits Verstappen.

In the race, the V8 car performed much better. Starting driver Ben Barnicoat worked his way up from 15th on the grid to eighth place, before Chris Lulham even moved up to sixth after the first pit stop. However, during an ambitious manoeuvre following a safety car restart, Lulham spun the Winward Mercedes driven by Luca Stolz, who had already been confirmed as champion. The consequence: a drive-through penalty that dropped the car back to 24th place.

Verstappen overtakes one after another: “It was absolutely brilliant fun”

With 45 minutes to go, Verstappen took the wheel for the final stint. What followed was a masterclass in car control and one-on-one racing. Fifteen overtakes in 45 minutes, aided by an interim safety car period, put the icing on the cake for the race.

“Despite the starting position, I had a lot of fun and the pace of our car was really good. It was a hectic race with quite a bit of chaos around me, as everyone was trying to move up the field,” said Verstappen, reflecting on his stint in the GT3 fray.

“To still finish ninth after receiving a drive-through penalty is a really great result. We’ve learnt an awful lot and are taking away a positive weekend from this.”

His team-mate Ben Barnicoat was impressed by the F1 champion’s performance: “It was a great honour to drive for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. Max drove an incredible final stint, made up 15 places and got us into ninth – that was extremely impressive.”

GetSpeed-AMG celebrates maiden victory

Meanwhile, overall victory in the dramatic GTWC season finale went to the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed, featuring drivers Maximilian Götz, Ralf Aron and Fabian Schiller, who used a clever strategy at their first pit stop to overtake two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs and subsequently dominated the race. They thus celebrated the team’s first overall victory in the GTWC.

For Verstappen, it is clear that this foray into GT racing is unlikely to be his last: the Dutchman is already planning to compete in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps endurance classic in 2027.