Verstappen suffers Portimão qualifying setback as Mercedes struggles and Porsche takes GTWC pole

News Summary

• Verstappen Racing qualified 15th for Saturday’s three-hour GT World Challenge Europe race at Portimão.
• The Mercedes-AMG #3 suffered from bouncing and handling problems throughout qualifying.
• Boutsen VDS secured pole with its Porsche #2, ahead of Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed and Lionspeed GP.

Max Verstappen will start only 15th in Saturday’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale at Portimão, after the Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shares with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat struggled with handling problems during qualifying on Friday, October 16.

The result represented a significant setback for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, which had finished fourth in the second free practice session, just 0.241 seconds behind the fastest car. However, the trio could not reproduce that competitiveness when the starting grid was decided, finishing with a combined qualifying average of 1:42.624.

Pole position went to the No. 2 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello. The crew recorded a combined average of 1:42.071, leaving Verstappen Racing 0.553 seconds behind.

The No. 17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed entry qualified second, while the No. 80 Lionspeed GP Porsche completed the top three.

Mercedes struggles with bouncing as Barnicoat and Lulham lose ground

The problems began in the opening qualifying segment, when Barnicoat took the wheel of the No. 3 Mercedes.

The British driver recorded a best lap of 1:43.124, finishing 21st in his session as the car struggled with excessive movement over Portimão’s undulating surface.

The Mercedes appeared to bounce along the straights, preventing Barnicoat from extracting the performance required to challenge the leading crews.

Lulham took over for the second segment and improved the team’s position, recording a 1:42.655. However, he also encountered handling difficulties, leaving the car outside the top 10 on the combined classification.

The setback contrasted with Verstappen Racing’s strong second practice performance, when Lulham had placed the Mercedes fourth overall.

That earlier result had raised expectations that the team could challenge for a place near the front of the grid, particularly after its recovery from a difficult opening practice session.

Instead, qualifying exposed weaknesses in the car’s behaviour that the drivers were unable to overcome.

Verstappen cannot rescue Mercedes despite late qualifying push

Verstappen took over for the final qualifying segment, with the responsibility of improving the crew’s combined average.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion initially recorded a 1:42.216, but the lap was insufficient to move the team into the leading group.

He subsequently improved to 1:42.093 on his second attempt, although the time still left the No. 3 Mercedes in 15th place on the combined classification.

Onboard footage showed the car producing sparks as its underside made contact with the track, particularly around the final corner. The Mercedes also appeared to suffer from understeer, sudden oversteer and bouncing over Portimão’s elevation changes.

Those symptoms suggested a possible setup or ride-height problem, although the precise technical cause has not been officially established.

Unlike Formula 1 qualifying, the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup uses the performances of all three drivers to determine the starting grid. Each driver completes a separate qualifying segment, and their times are combined into an average.

Consequently, Verstappen’s final attempt could improve the crew’s position but could not erase the time lost during the earlier segments.

The format is explained in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s guide to GT World Challenge Europe rules and qualifying.

Porsche takes pole as Verstappen Racing faces recovery drive

Boutsen VDS emerged as the strongest crew in qualifying, securing pole position with its No. 2 Porsche.

Schuring, Boccolacci and Picariello combined for the fastest average, while Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed qualified second with Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller.

The Lionspeed GP Porsche shared by Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus completed the top three.

HRT Ford Racing secured fourth with its Mustang GT3, while AF Corse placed its No. 50 Ferrari fifth.

Verstappen Racing will therefore face the challenge of recovering through a large multi-class field during Saturday’s three-hour race.

The event also features MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who is competing in a BMW M4 GT3 EVO with Team WRT. The encounter between the two world champions was one of the major attractions heading into the weekend, as GRANDE PRÊMIO explored in its Verstappen–Rossi preview.

For Verstappen, the disappointing qualifying result follows another difficult moment earlier on Friday, when he received a reprimand after making contact with Ezequiel Pérez Companc during first practice.

The stewards determined that the Dutchman had caused an avoidable collision, issuing a reprimand and one behaviour warning point. The incident and the stewards’ decision were detailed by GRANDE PRÊMIO.

GT World Challenge Europe — Portimão qualifying top 15

The classification below shows the combined qualifying average for each three-driver crew, rather than an individual driver’s fastest lap.

When is Verstappen’s GT World Challenge race at Portimão?

The three-hour GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup finale takes place on Saturday, October 17, beginning at 17:00 local time in Portugal.

The race will be available through the official GT World international streaming platforms, while the Brazilian edition of GRANDE PRÊMIO will provide Portuguese-language coverage on its digital channels.

International viewers can consult GRANDE PRÊMIO’s Portimão live-stream guide for the broadcast options and local start times.

GRANDE PRÊMIO will follow Verstappen, Lulham and Barnicoat throughout Saturday’s race, with complete coverage available in its endurance racing section.