Red Bull star Max Verstappen will contest a GT3 race at Portimao during the gap between two Formula 1 triple-headers. The Dutchman will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by 2 Seas Motorsport under the Verstappen Racing banner at the GT World Challenge Europe finale in Portugal on 16-18 October. This marks the four-time F1 champion's first outing in SRO's GT World Challenge series and pits him directly against MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who will compete for BMW's factory-supported WRT team in the same Pro category.
Verstappen confirmed his GT3 appearance, his first since the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The surprise entry follows a late change to the World Endurance Championship calendar, leaving full-season Verstappen Racing drivers Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella unavailable for the clashing GTWCE finale. Gounon and Juncadella will race for Alpine and Genesis respectively in the Barcelona 6 Hours on the same weekend.
"I know that two of my drivers won't be part of the line-up. Two other drivers need to step in. I'm looking forward to it," Verstappen said. "I love Portimao. I love being in Portugal. So we'll try and have a good weekend."
With the addition of the Portimao GTWCE event, Verstappen faces a busy seven-week stretch, contesting seven consecutive races between last weekend's Azerbaijan GP and the Brazilian GP on 8 November.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing