Joining Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat for the GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimão, Red Bull Racing Driver Max Verstappen charged from 24th to ninth in the closing stages as Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing recovered from a drive-through penalty to secure a top-10 finish.
After making his debut at the renowned 24H Nürburgring and then passing 100 rivals to win the Max vs 100 karting race earlier in the year, Verstappen took the opportunity of a weekend off from driving his usual Oracle Red Bull Racing RB22 to join team-mates Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat in the season-closing 3-hour race at the undulating Portuguese circuit.
The race marked the Dutch champion's debut in the GT World Challenge series that the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing has been competing in since 2025 and presented the challenge of a 3-hour main race starting at 5pm local time and ending in the dark at 8pm.
Starting from 13th on the grid after a demanding qualifying session, Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing showed strong race pace from the outset. Ben Barnicoat delivered an excellent opening stint, quickly moving the car into the top 10 and into the mix for a podium result.
As the sun began to dip, Barnicoat handed over to the team's full-time driver Lulham, who made an immediate impact after making a brilliant pass on the #64 Ford Mustang of Thomas Drouet for P6.
Tasked with recovering ground after the team's drive-through penalty dropped the car to 24th, Verstappen carved his way through the field to 19th before a late Safety Car compressed the pack and created an opportunity to challenge for the top 10.
Rejoining in 24th place with 45 minutes remaining, Verstappen immediately began carving his way through the field in pursuit of a top-10 finish.
Tasked with recovering ground after the team’s drive-through penalty dropped the car to 24th, Verstappen worked his way through the field and into 19th before a late Safety Car brought the leaders back within reach.
Verstappen needed no second invitation and immediately capitalised on the opportunity, producing a series of decisive overtakes, including passing three cars across Turns 4 and 5, to complete his recovery to ninth place.
The result did not reflect the pace shown by Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing throughout the race. After changes to the car following a difficult qualifying session, the team demonstrated front-running pace before the drive-through penalty compromised its challenge further up the order.
Reflecting on the race, Max Verstappen said: "Overall, we had a decent weekend. Unfortunately, we made a mistake with the setup of the car in qualifying, which meant we didn't qualify where we should have qualified. We adjusted the setup for the race and we were a lot more competitive."
"Ben had a really great first stint staying out of the carnage at the start and driving us to the front. Chris also started his stint really strongly, putting us in a good position. But then, unfortunately, the drive-through penalty meant I had to start my stint from P24."
"I had fun. The pace of our car was really good and it was very hectic with a lot of chaos around me trying to get to the front. To recover from P24 and finish ninth was really strong. Although it wasn't the result we wanted, we learned a lot and overall it was a positive weekend."
