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Red Bull Formula 1 star Max Verstappen is set to go head-to-head with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi after the Dutchman announced a surprise return to GT3 competition. The four-time F1 world champion will take advantage of a brief gap between two triple-headers to contest the GT World Challenge Europe finale at Portimão on October 16-18.
Verstappen will pilot a Mercedes-AMG GT3 prepared by 2 Seas Motorsport under the Verstappen.com Racing banner. It marks his debut in the Stéphane Ratel-run championship and sets up a direct Pro-class duel against Rossi, who drives for BMW outfit Team WRT.
The Dutch driver confirmed his participation ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. This will be his first GT3 outing since May's running of the iconic 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
Verstappen's entry was made possible by a scheduling clash with the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which prevents his regular drivers Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella from taking part at Portimão. The pair will be in action at the 6 Hours of Barcelona on the same weekend, representing Alpine and Genesis respectively.
“I know two of my drivers won't be able to make the line-up. Others had to step in, and I can't wait. Of course, I’d prefer my regular drivers to race, but schedules change sometimes and that’s totally fine. I like Portimão and I love being in Portugal, so we'll do our best to put together a strong weekend,” Verstappen said.
Chris Lulham has been confirmed alongside him for the three-hour Endurance Cup race, with the third driver yet to be named. Verstappen, however, firmly dismissed speculation that Fernando Alonso could join the line-up.
The Portimão appearance thrusts the Dutchman into the most relentless stretch of his season, featuring seven consecutive race weekends between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 8.
“It's going to be a pretty busy seven weeks, but we'll manage. I really enjoy it all, so we'll see what we can do,” he added.
Verstappen continues to invest heavily in his sportscar racing ventures, with his team expanding its program for 2026. After a mechanical failure denied him victory at the Nürburgring in May, he is aiming for redemption at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring next year.
The 29-year-old is also considering an entry into the 2027 24 Hours of Spa, though he categorically denied rumors that he is in talks to race Ford's new Hypercar prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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