After a successful weekend in Singapore, Max Verstappen is now spending a rare week outside of Formula 1 behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Apparently, the F1 schedule isn’t punishing enough for the Dutchman, who will be racing Portimao, Portugal, in the season-concluding 2026 GT World Challenge round. This is how and where you can watch it.
The Red Bull driver will be coming off not just a win at the Marina Bay Circuit, but also a win in Malaysia for the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix. Maybe this momentum could follow him to the Algarve.
“It is going to be a busy seven weeks, but I will enjoy it,” he said when the entry was first announced.
The three-hour race will begin on Saturday, 17 October, at 5pm local time. It will come to an end at 8pm.
A 61-car endurance race
Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham will join Verstappen in the #3 Team Verstappen Racing entry. Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, who would usually be driving the car, will be driving in the FIA World Endurance Championship that same weekend, meaning the team’s talented reserve driver will have to step in.
This will be his first return to GT competition since the Nurburgring 24 Hours earlier this year. That race ended badly, with his car falling out of the race due to a technical failure, but he’s hoping he can take back what’s his this coming weekend. This race will be shorter, offering him maybe a better chance at success.
Portimao, however, is a more compact circuit, so the 61 cars on its asphalt may create a few traffic issues and no shortage of action.
24h Spa 2026: Verstappen-AMG raus, erneuter Ferrari-Reifenschaden
Photo by: SRO/JEP
When and where to watch
| Day | Session | Start time (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, 16 October | Free Practice 1 | 08:45 |
| Friday, 16 October | Free Practice 2 | 12:45 |
| Friday, 16 October | Qualifying | 17:55 |
| Saturday, 17 October | GT World Challenge Endurance Cup Race | 17:00 |
| Saturday, 17 October | Race Finish | 20:00 |
Qualifying takes place on Friday from 5.55pm to 7.05pm local time. Race day follows on Saturday, with the green flag at 5pm and the chequered flag waving at 8pm.
The GT World Challenge is streamed on the GT World YouTube channel and can be watched for free in multiple languages. Live coverage will begin on Friday with FP1 at 08:45.
2026 GT World Challenge Portimao Entry List
| Car # | Team | Nationality | Car | Driver 1 | Nationality | Driver 2 | Nationality | Driver 3 | Nationality | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Boutsen VDS | BEL | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Morris Schuring | NED | Dorian Boccolacci | FRA | Alessio Picariello | BEL | Pro |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing | NED | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Max Verstappen | NED | Ben Barnicoat | GBR | Chris Lulham | GBR | Pro |
| 4 | Optimum Motorsport | GBR | McLaren 720S GT3 EVO | Adam Smalley | GBR | Freddie Tomlinson | GBR | Harry George | GBR | Gold |
| 5 | Optimum Motorsport | GBR | McLaren 720S GT3 EVO | Dante Rappange | NED | Guilherme Oliveira | POR | Mikey Porter | GBR | Silver |
| 6 | GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros | USA | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Anthony Bartone | USA | Cesar Gazeau | FRA | Aurelien Panis | FRA | Silver |
| 7 | Comtoyou Racing | BEL | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO | Mattia Drudi | SMR | Nicki Thiim | DEN | Ross Gunn | GBR | Pro |
| 8 | Car Collection Motorsport | GER | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Reinhold Krahn | CAN | Pietro Armanni | ITA | Joel Sturm | GER | Bronze |
| 9 | Pure Racing | LTU | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Max Hofer | AUT | Mikkel Pedersen | DEN | Aliaksandr Malykhin | GBR | Silver |
| 10 | Boutsen VDS | BEL | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Alessandro Ghiretti | FRA | Robin Knutsson | SWE | Gilles Magnus | BEL | Gold |
| 11 | Comtoyou Racing | BEL | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO | Marcelo Tomasoni | BRA | Aaron Muss | USA | TBA | Bronze | |
| 12 | GetSpeed Team Dubai | UAE | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Gabriel Rindone | UAE | Mikael Grenier | CAN | Tom Kalender | GER | Bronze |
| 17 | Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed | GER | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Ralf Aron | EST | Maximilian Götz | GER | Fabian Schiller | GER | Pro |
| 19 | Team Motopark | AUT | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Christian Mansell | GBR | Aaron Walker | GBR | Rui Andrade | SUI | Silver |
| 20 | Team Motopark | AUT | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Nikita Mazepin | RUS | Dominik Baumann | AUT | Philip Ellis | GBR | Pro |
| 21 | Comtoyou Racing | BEL | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO | Oliver Söderström | SWE | Sébastien Baud | FRA | Kobe Pauwels | BEL | Silver |
| 23 | Team RJN | GBR | McLaren 720S GT3 EVO | Maxwell Lynn | GBR | Horatio Fitz-Simon | GBR | Ben Dörr | GER | Silver |
| 24 | Steller Motorsport | GBR | Corvette Z06 GT3 R | Mikkel Mac | DEN | Dennis Lind | DEN | TBA | Gold | |
| 25 | Sainteloc Racing | FRA | Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II | Ezequiel Perez Companc | ARG | Etienne Cheli | FRA | TBA | Silver | |
| 30 | Team WRT | BEL | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | Ignacio Montenegro | ARG | Matisse Lismont | BEL | Amaury Cordeel | BEL | Silver |
| 32 | Team WRT | BEL | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | Kelvin van der Linde | RSA | Jordan Pepper | RSA | Charles Weerts | BEL | Pro |
| 34 | natural elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport | GER | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO | Jamie Day | UAE | Christian Krognes | NOR | Henrique Chaves | POR | Pro |
| 35 | Walkenhorst Motorsport | GER | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO | Ethan Ischer | SUI | Gaspard Simon | FRA | Mateo Villagomez | ECD | Silver |
| 41 | Razoon – more than racing | AUT | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Marcos Gomes | BRA | Alan Hellmeister | BRA | Sebastião Malucelli | BRA | Bronze |
| 42 | Oman Racing by Century Motorsport | OMA | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | Calan Williams | AUS | Javier Sagrera | ESP | Ahmad Al Harthy | OMA | Bronze |
| 44 | Greystone GT | GBR | McLaren 720S GT3 EVO | Jayden Kelly | ESP | Josh Rattican | GBR | Tommy Pintos | ESP | Silver |
| 45 | Rinaldi Racing | GER | Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO | Dylan Medler | USA | David Perel | RSA | Axcil Jefferies | ZIM | Silver |
| 46 | Team WRT | BEL | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | Neil Verhagen | USA | Max Hesse | GER | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Pro |
| 48 | Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER | USA | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO | Lucas Auer | AUT | Luca Stolz | GER | Maro Engel | GER | Pro |
| 50 | AF Corse | ITA | Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO | Lilou Wadoux | FRA | Arthur Leclerc | MON | Albert Costa | ESP | Pro |
| 51 | AF Corse | ITA | Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO | Tommaso Mosca | ITA | Lorenzo Ferrari | UAE | Nicola Lacorte | ITA | Pro |
| 52 | AF Corse | ITA | Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO | Matias Zagazeta | PER | Jef Machiels | BEL | Gilles Stadsbader | BEL | Silver |
| 54 | Dinamic GT | ITA | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO | Tanart Sathienthirakul | THA | Francesco Simonazzi | ITA | Angus Whiteside | GBR | Silver |
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