Max Verstappen to start from 15th on the grid on his GT World Challenge Europe debut

Max Verstappen has had a busy day in Portimão. The four-time Formula 1 world champion had two 90-minute practice sessions and the three-part qualifying session on his schedule in Portugal.

Even before qualifying, Max Verstappen said in an interview for the GT World Challenge live stream: “To be honest, it took me a while to get used to the track, as my reference points were from the Nordschleife. But the car is very well set up; it has also proved to be very competitive over the past few years. It’s tough at the start, of course, but you just have to fine-tune the car’s settings a bit. Of course, you always want to be faster and better, and it’s also unusually warm for this time of year – you have to take that into account as well. It’s all about the small adjustments, including those I need to make myself. I still need to get up to speed, do a few more laps, and of course, the more laps I do, the better. I hope we can establish a good starting position this way.”

The four-time Formula 1 champion praised the GT3 concept: “Of course, I haven’t really had the opportunity in my career so far to share my car with team-mates. I got a first taste of it on the Nordschleife, and I really enjoyed it. And it’s just exciting for me to now have the chance to do so here in the GT World Challenge for the first time.”

Speaking about his team-mates Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham, Verstappen said: “I raced against Ben a lot in karting, then we went our separate ways in our careers. But it’s nice to meet up again and share the wheel. I’ve been working with Chris in the world of sim racing for a long time. And now he’s racing on the real track, making progress with every race; he’s getting better and better, gaining more and more experience and going head-to-head with the big names in the paddock.”

The day got off to a hectic start for the Dutchman when, just two minutes into practice, he collided with Ezequiel Perez Companc in the Sainteloc Racing Audi and spun him round. Verstappen was found at fault by the stewards and received a caution as well as a Behaviour Warning Point, which, however, has no consequences for the Red Bull Racing star on this first occasion.

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Verstappen and his team-mates Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham focused on speed and endurance during the session. As a result, the car finished the session in 20th place.

Max Verstappen in Portimao

Foto: Gruppe C Photography

At the end of the second practice session, Chris Lulham undertook a qualifying simulation that saw him move up to fourth place. A result that initially gave the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing cause for optimism...

However, in qualifying, the car fell short in all three segments from which the combined time – which determined the starting grid – was calculated. With his combined lap time, he could only manage 15th on the grid. In his segment, Max Verstappen finished 14th. Verstappen was 0.441 seconds behind the young Danish driver Simon Birch, who set the fastest lap time in qualifying.

The GP star went on to emphasise that the standard in the GT World Challenge is “very high”. “I’ve competed against some of these rivals in the past. Some are a bit older than me, but they’ve achieved a great deal in various categories all over the world. The standard of racing here is very high; everyone knows that, which is probably why there are so many cars on the grid. You want to compete here in one of the best championships.”

Verstappen left open the question of whether he would compete in next year’s Spa 24-hour classic: “It’s my favourite circuit and I’ll try to make it happen. I just need to plan it very carefully and prepare well, should it work out. I’m from Belgium too, so it’s always nice to be there. And of course, it’s also one of the biggest endurance events of the year. I’ll do my best to be there.”