Max Verstappen is heading back to a GT3 cockpit, as FormulaUno.it reports that the four-time Formula 1 world champion will contest the 3 Hours of Portimão for the GT World Challenge Europe season finale. The Dutchman announced the outing during the Bahrain GP press conference at Sepang, locking in an appearance for the Endurance Cup's final round in Portugal from October 16 to 18. He will pilot the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO fielded by Verstappen Racing, his own racing project run technically by Winward Racing. The race is set for Saturday, October 17 at 17:00 local time.
This follows his previous GT3 outing in May, when he debuted at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with his team's Mercedes-AMG GT3. Back in Germany, he shared the car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer, and Daniel Juncadella, leading for a long stretch before retiring. Victory that day went to Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz in the #80 Ravenol-liveried AMG.
A scheduling clash between the GT World Challenge at Portimão and the WEC at Barcelona, added in mid-October to replace the 8 Hours of Bahrain, forced major lineup shuffles. Because of this, regular drivers Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella are prioritizing their WEC duties with Alpine and Genesis respectively.
With those seats open, Verstappen will share the car with Chris Lulham. Meanwhile, the third seat is expected to go to five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, a familiar face who has logged countless simulator hours with the Dutchman through Red Line. Palou, who is competing this weekend in the 8 Hours of Indianapolis (IGTC by SRO) with Lone Star Racing, is lining up for his third GT3 experience, adding to a 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours run with the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac that finished seventh.
Due to the calendar overlap, SRO moved the race forward to Saturday, October 17, with the final round starting at 17:00 Italian time. Verstappen and potentially Palou step in to bring their single-seater speed to GT racing, tasked with supporting Chris Lulham in his pursuit of crucial points. The young British driver, mentored by Verstappen, has accumulated 21 points in a difficult campaign given the team, car, and driver lineup's potential. Lulham returned to the podium at the 3 Hours of the Nürburgring (won by Mattia Drudi alongside Marco Sorensen and Nick Thiim) and can still target third place in the standings, while the title was already secured by Engel, Auer, and Stolz during the Eifel round.
