No F1 This Weekend? Verstappen Has Another Race to Run
Max Verstappen heads to Portimão for a three-hour GT race with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat. The Saturday start is noon Eastern, with free coverage announced on GT World’s YouTube channel.
Formula 1 has a weekend off before Austin. Max Verstappen has another race on his calendar.
The Dutchman is entered in Saturday’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimão, sharing the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat.
It gives F1 fans a different way to follow Verstappen: three drivers sharing one car, racing for three hours against a field packed with sports-car specialists.
Three drivers, one result
Verstappen will compete with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in the Pro class. Lulham is one of the team’s full-season drivers, while Barnicoat brings extensive experience in top-level GT competition.
Their result will belong to the car and all three drivers. Each contributes a stint behind the wheel, with driver changes making the handover between teammates part of the race.
That changes what viewers should follow. The No. 3 remains the entry to watch when Verstappen steps out, and the work done by Lulham and Barnicoat is part of the same effort.
The team is already building a record in the championship. It joined the GT World Challenge grid in 2025 and moved into the Pro class with Mercedes-AMG machinery this season. Its results include an overall Sprint Cup victory at Magny-Cours and an Endurance Cup podium at the Nürburgring.
Familiar names, a different challenge
Verstappen will face drivers whose careers have been built around this kind of racing.
The entry list includes Maro Engel, Lucas Auer and Luca Stolz in the No. 48 Mercedes-AMG, while Valentino Rossi shares Team WRT’s No. 46 BMW with Neil Verhagen and Max Hesse. Arthur Leclerc is entered in the No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari alongside Lilou Wadoux and Albert Costa.
For viewers arriving from F1, the variety is part of the attraction. Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin and other manufacturers share the circuit, with several classes competing within the same race.
Verstappen’s name brings another reason to watch, but the opposition gives the appearance its substance. He is joining an established field of specialists on their own competitive ground.
When and where to watch
The three-hour race is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, at 5 p.m. in Portugal, which is noon Eastern and 9 a.m. Pacific. The scheduled finish is 8 p.m. local time, or 3 p.m. Eastern.
Qualifying begins on Friday, October 16, at 5:55 p.m. local time, or 12:55 p.m. Eastern.
The organizer says the action will stream free worldwide on the GT World YouTube channel, with coverage available in multiple languages. The championship website also provides an official watch-live page and live timing.
The wider event continues into Sunday, but Verstappen’s three-hour race is on Saturday. For F1 fans waiting for Austin, that is the appointment to put on the calendar.
