Max Verstappen will return to GT racing, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe at Portimao later this month. The F1 world champion will drive a Mercedes GT3 on October 18, the only non-F1 weekend in October.
This marks his first GT appearance since his debut with Verstappen Racing at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, where they were denied victory by a mechanical failure while leading. Now, Verstappen is set to race again, this time in the GT World Challenge Europe series.
The reason behind Verstappen's return is a schedule clash. Regular Verstappen Racing drivers Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are unavailable because Portimao coincides with the penultimate WEC round at Barcelona. Juncadella races for Genesis in WEC, while Gounon drives for Alpine. Verstappen will step in as the reserve driver, as he hinted at Monza.
Verstappen confirmed this on Thursday at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He will share the cockpit with a yet-to-be-announced teammate. Chris Lulham is a strong candidate, having competed in three weekends this year and previously partnered Verstappen in a Ferrari at the NLS last year. “It will be fun, but also challenging since I haven't raced much in GT,” Verstappen said.
Interestingly, Fernando Alonso made a comment about his own non-F1 plans. “Max is the only one trying to do some GT racing,” Alonso said, seemingly forgetting that his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll raced in GT World Challenge Europe at Paul Ricard in April. Alonso also teased his own secret plans, “I will keep trying because maybe you have more surprises in the next few weeks.” However, Verstappen ruled out Alonso as his Portimao teammate.
With this additional race, Verstappen will race on seven consecutive weekends. His next free weekend is November 14/15. It's a busy schedule, but for Verstappen, GT racing is a way to stay sharp and enjoy competition outside the F1 pressure cooker.
Portimao will be an interesting test for Verstappen. Although he is experienced in various disciplines, GT3 has different characteristics, especially in tire management and traffic. However, his incredible adaptability always makes him a threat. We look forward to seeing him in action.
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