As FormulaUno.it reports, Max Verstappen has finalized his driver lineup for the upcoming 3 Hours of Portimão in the GT World Challenge. The four-time Formula 1 world champion will step into the car for the Endurance Cup season finale, taking the wheel of the Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO #3 alongside Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham. Speculation had previously pointed toward Alex Palou as the favorite for the seat, but the team ultimately went in a different direction.
Scheduled for October 15 to 17, the Portuguese event marks Verstappen's official debut in the GT World Challenge Europe championship. The three-hour race itself is set to begin at 17:00 on Saturday the 17th at the Portimão circuit as part of the final Endurance round of the year. This appearance is shaped by a direct clash in the motorsport calendar, as the Portimão race overlaps with the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona. That clash forces a shake-up for the #3 Mercedes-AMG, as regular drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon head to Spain instead, leaving the door wide open for Verstappen and Barnicoat to step in beside Lulham.
For Ben Barnicoat, this weekend marks a return to the GT World Challenge Europe grid following his outing at the Nürburgring last season. The British driver brings extensive international GT experience and currently serves as an official Lexus Vasser Sullivan driver. His impressive resume features a 2023 IMSA GTD Pro title and a class victory at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2 Pro-Am, built across demanding programs on both sides of the Atlantic.
Rounding out the trio is full-season regular Chris Lulham, who already shares driving duties with Juncadella in the Verstappen Racing 2026 program. Connected to the Dutchman's motorsport endeavors through sim racing as well as the track, Lulham has been a fixture of the team's GT World Challenge Europe campaign all year. While recent weeks saw heavy rumors linking five-time IndyCar champion and 2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou to the vacancy, the team decisively opted for Barnicoat.
This weekend brings Verstappen back to GT3 machinery for the first time since he contested the Nürburgring 24 Hours back in May. Despite a campaign impacted by various bouts of bad luck and trouble, the project has already secured its maiden Endurance Cup podium at the Nürburgring, alongside a Sprint program victory for the #3 Mercedes at Magny-Cours courtesy of Juncadella and Lulham. Now, Verstappen takes the wheel himself to close out the team's GT3 season against a massive field of roughly 60 cars and ten manufacturers. With the #3 Mercedes-AMG facing the elite of international GT racing, the target of third place for Lulham is genuinely within reach, and the combined backing of Verstappen and Barnicoat will be crucial to securing it.
