Max Verstappen is set to compete in another race this year in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, where he’ll face off against Valentino Rossi: when and where the clash of the legends will take place
With nine races in just eleven weeks, the 2026 Formula 1 season finale is set to put the entire driver line-up through their paces. Only Max Verstappen, it seems, isn’t even thinking about a break: in the brief gap between two triple-headers, the four-time world champion is swapping his Formula 1 cockpit for a GT3 car once again.
On 16 and 17 October, Verstappen will line up on the grid at this year’s season finale of the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE) Endurance Cup in Portugal. There, alongside his team-mate Chris Lulham, he will drive Verstappen Racing’s own Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is fielded by 2 Seas Motorsport.
The Dutchman will be stepping in for the two regular drivers, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, who are unable to attend due to a rescheduling in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) calendar. Both will be competing that same weekend in the 6 Hours of Barcelona for Alpine and Genesis respectively.
“I know that two of my drivers won’t be part of the line-up. Two other drivers will have to step in. I’m looking forward to it,” says Verstappen. “Of course, I would have liked to have had my regular drivers there, but the calendar has changed. And that’s fine.”
Who will be supporting Verstappen and Lulham as the third driver?
“I love Portimão. I love being in Portugal. So we’ll try to have a good weekend.” For Verstappen, this will also mark his debut in the GT World Challenge, which includes, amongst other events, the 24 Hours of Spa. The Red Bull driver would also like to compete in this classic race in future.
However, it is still unclear who will support Verstappen and Lulham at Portimão, as three drivers per car must be entered for the three-hour Endurance Cup race. At the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, Verstappen shared the car with Gounon, Juncadella and Lucas Auer.
In the GT World Challenge, however, the Austrian is racing for the Winward team, which was also responsible for the Mercedes campaign on the Nordschleife this year. Verstappen had already denied rumours that Fernando Alonso would step in as the third driver ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Max Verstappen admits: “I’m enjoying it anyway”
It therefore remains to be seen who will ultimately support Verstappen and Lulham. Nevertheless, the Dutchman is eagerly awaiting his debut in the GT World Challenge. There he will come up against, amongst others, MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who is driving a BMW M4 GT3 for the Belgian WRT team and is also competing in the Pro Cup.
Free practice and qualifying are scheduled for Friday (16 October), whilst the three-hour race gets underway on Saturday (17 October) at 5 pm. This at least leaves Verstappen with Sunday to catch his breath before the final sprint of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
“It’s going to be seven busy weeks, but we’ll see it through, and I’m enjoying it anyway,” says the Red Bull driver, who currently sits only sixth overall in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship. “So let’s see what we can achieve there.”
