News Summary
- Max Verstappen was reprimanded and given one behaviour warning point following contact with an Audi at Turn 3.
- Stewards ruled that the four-time F1 champion caused an avoidable collision, although mitigating circumstances reduced the sanction.
- Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG finished 20th in FP1 before improving to fourth in the second practice session.
Max Verstappen’s GT World Challenge Europe debut at Portimão began with a collision and a reprimand after the four-time Formula 1 world champion made contact with Ezequiel Pérez Companc during the opening lap of Friday’s (October 16) first free practice session.
Driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, the Red Bull driver attempted to pass Pérez Companc’s #25 Audi on the inside at Turn 3. The two cars made contact as the Audi turned into the corner, sending Pérez Companc into a spin.
Race control subsequently investigated the incident, with both drivers summoned to explain their versions of events. After reviewing video evidence and hearing their accounts, the stewards determined that Verstappen was entirely responsible for causing an avoidable collision.
However, the officials considered the circumstances surrounding the incident and imposed a relatively minor sanction: a reprimand and one behaviour warning point.
Under the championship’s disciplinary system, accumulating three such warning points results in an automatic five-place grid penalty for the car.
Why was Verstappen reprimanded at Portimão?
According to the stewards’ decision, Verstappen explained that he had attempted the overtake expecting the Audi to remain towards the outside of the corner. He was surprised when Pérez Companc turned in.
The Audi driver said he had been concentrating on traffic ahead and had not noticed Verstappen approaching on his right. Pérez Companc himself regarded the contact as an unfortunate racing incident.
Nevertheless, the stewards concluded that the Mercedes driver was responsible for the collision.
Officials also acknowledged two mitigating factors: the incident occurred on the first lap of the opening practice session, and other cars ahead had influenced the racing line available to the Audi.
Those considerations resulted in the reprimand rather than a more severe sporting penalty.
The collision adds an unexpected complication to Verstappen’s first GT World Challenge Europe race weekend, which comes between Formula 1 commitments following his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Verstappen recovers to fourth in second practice
Despite the early incident, Verstappen and teammates Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat continued their preparations for Saturday’s three-hour endurance race at the Algarve circuit.
The #3 Mercedes finished 20th in FP1, setting a best lap of 1min43s046, 0.403 seconds behind the session-leading #84 Audi shared by Christopher Haase, Simon Reicher and Markus Winkelhock.
The trio improved significantly in the second session, climbing to fourth place, just 0.241 seconds behind the fastest car.
The #17 Mercedes-AMG driven by Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller topped FP2.
Verstappen is making his first competitive GT World Challenge Europe appearance as part of an expanding endurance-racing programme. His entry is operated under the Verstappen Racing banner, and the Dutchman is competing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 despite his Formula 1 commitments with Red Bull.
The event also features nine-time motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi, setting up a rare appearance by Verstappen and Rossi in the same GT3 race.
Qualifying takes place on Friday, with the three-hour race scheduled for Saturday, October 17, at 17:00 local time (12:00 ET / 17:00 BST).
International viewers can follow the event through the official GT World Challenge broadcast, while the Brazilian edition of GRANDE PRÊMIO provides Portuguese-language coverage. Full viewing information, including times for the United States, United Kingdom, India and Australia, is available in the Portimão GT3 live-streaming guide.
