Verstappen Charges from 24th to Ninth as GetSpeed Wins GTWC Europe Finale at Portimão

Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat finished ninth in the GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimão. The #3 Verstappen Racing entry received a penalty after Lulham made contact with the championship‑leading #48 Winward Racing Mercedes‑AMG GT3 of Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz, sending it into a spin shortly after a safety‑car restart.

Following a drive‑through penalty, Verstappen launched a late‑race recovery drive, climbing from 24th to ninth in the final 45 minutes.

The 2 Seas Motorsport‑operated Mercedes‑AMG GT3 began the race strongly. Having struggled with a setup during qualifying, the car proved far more competitive in race trim, matching the pace of the front‑runners.

Barnicoat progressed early on. After a brief Full Course Yellow 20 minutes in, the Lexus IMSA driver passed the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo of Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim and Ross Gunn to rise to 10th place.

He then gained two more positions when Charles Weerts in the #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo spun Lilou Wadoux in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

Barnicoat immediately overtook the Ferrari and secured another spot when Weerts received a drive‑through penalty for the incident, after which the Belgian apologised over the radio.

Barnicoat pitted from eighth to hand the car over to Lulham. Verstappen Racing opted for a longer first stint, executing an overcut that proved fruitful.

Lulham rejoined in seventh and instantly passed the #64 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 Evo of Thomas Drouet with a bold outside move at Turn 7.

Having moved up to sixth, Lulham set a series of fast laps to close the gap to the leading group. A safety car, called after two Porsches ended up in the gravel, erased the remaining margin.

At the restart, Lulham attempted to gain ground, but a move into Turn 8 on Luca Stolz in the #48 Winward “Mamba” resulted in contact, spinning the championship‑leading Mercedes.

Lulham served the resulting drive‑through penalty before handing the car to Max Verstappen. The four‑time Formula 1 world champion took the wheel with 45 minutes left, re‑entering in 24th position.

Starting from 24th, Verstappen began a recovery drive. A second safety car—triggered by the #96 Rutronik Racing Lamborghini and an off by the #46 Team WRT BMW of Neil Verhagen, Max Hesse and Valentino Rossi—compressed the field further.

The incident ended a difficult weekend for Rossi’s #46 BMW. After starting at the back due to a cancelled qualifying lap, the car was forced to pit on the opening lap and finished in the gravel.

Verstappen restarted from 19th and quickly worked his way through the field. Non‑Pro competitors offered limited resistance as they focused on their class battles. By the 17‑minute mark he was 15th, directly behind a pack of Pro drivers.

Verstappen then overtook six Pro entrants within ten minutes to climb to ninth. In one sequence he used the battling cars ahead to pass three Pro entries in a single move.

After clearing that group the gap to the leaders was too large for further progress. Nevertheless, Verstappen’s stint saw him gain 15 positions over 45 minutes of racing.

GetSpeed secures maiden overall victory

After several near‑misses, GetSpeed finally claimed its first overall win in the GT World Challenge Europe. Maximilian Götz, Ralf Aron and Fabian Schiller drove the #17 Mercedes‑AMG GT3 to victory for the Adam Osieka‑led team.

The red‑and‑white AMG set the pace throughout the race, finishing ahead of the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) driven by Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus, and the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche of Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello.

The opening stint was dominated by the two leading Porsches, with Preining holding off pressure from Götz. After the first pit stops, an out‑lap battle between Preining and Boccolacci cost both cars time, allowing Aron to emerge cleanly ahead of both.

Aron, who missed a large part of the season after a serious crash at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, steadily built a lead following the first safety‑car restart while battles raged behind him.

A standout performance came from Joseph Loake in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo (shared with Dean MacDonald and Oliver Hawksworth). Loake executed three daring overtakes around the outside of Turn 1.

“That was a move my teammate Dean MacDonald recommended to me, but I couldn’t try it until the race,” the 21‑year‑old said. Despite the passes, damage to the rear diffuser dropped the McLaren to sixth at the finish.

A second safety car erased a 10‑second advantage for GetSpeed, but Schiller remained untroubled at the final restart, pulling away in the closing minutes to cross the line 5.062 seconds clear of the Lionspeed Porsche.

The 2027 GT World Challenge Europe season is slated to begin on April 18 with the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000km at Le Castellet. Verstappen has indicated his intention to compete in the 24 Hours of Spa, scheduled for June 24–27, 2027.

Source link