Now, here is something you do not see every day. As Motorsport.com reports, the relentless Max Verstappen is taking a rare Formula 1 break and jumping straight into the cockpit of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the season-concluding 2026 GT World Challenge round in Portimao, Portugal. Fresh off a successful weekend in Singapore and a win in Malaysia for the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver clearly decided his schedule simply wasn't busy enough.
"It is going to be a busy seven weeks, but I will enjoy it," he noted when the entry was first announced. The Dutchman will share the #3 Team Verstappen Racing entry with Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham. Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are tied up in the FIA World Endurance Championship that same weekend, opening the door for the team's reserve driver to step in.
This outing marks a return to GT competition for Verstappen following the Nurburgring 24 Hours earlier this year. That particular endurance run ended in heartbreak when a technical failure forced his machine out of the running, but this shorter three-hour contest presents a fresh opportunity. However, wrestling a monstrous GT car around a compact circuit packed with 61 cars on the asphalt promises plenty of traffic and unavoidable chaos.
Track action kicks off early, with live coverage beginning on Friday with free practice 1 at 08:45. Qualifying runs later that day from 5.55pm to 7.05pm local time. The main event itself, a 61-car endurance battle, goes green on Saturday, 17 October, at 5pm local time and runs until the chequered flag drops at 8pm.
Fans eager to watch the machine in action will not have to look far. The GT World Challenge is streamed live and free of charge in multiple languages directly on the GT World YouTube channel.
