Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth in Portimão as GetSpeed claim historic win

Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen put on a masterclass in the GT World Challenge Europe season finale in Portimão. The Dutchman carved his way through the field, gaining 15 positions in the final 45 minutes of the race to secure an impressive ninth-place finish for his crew.

Sharing the #3 2 Seas Motorsport-prepared Mercedes-AMG GT3 under the Verstappen.com Racing banner alongside Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, the team enjoyed a strong start. Despite setup struggles during qualifying, the car demonstrated formidable race pace from the opening laps.

Barnicoat quickly went on the offensive. Following a brief Full Course Yellow period at the 20-minute mark, the IMSA star passed Comtoyou Racing's Aston Martin—shared by Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim, and Ross Gunn—to take tenth. Shortly after, he gained two more places following contact between Charles Weerts' BMW and Lilou Wadoux's AF Corse Ferrari. With Weerts handed a drive-through penalty, Barnicoat climbed to eighth before handing over to Lulham after an expertly executed, extended first stint.

Lulham rejoined in seventh and immediately produced a spectacular move around the outside of Turn 7 on Thomas Drouet's HRT Ford Mustang. The Briton sustained a blistering pace to reel in the leaders, with his charge aided by a safety car deployment caused by two Porsches stranded in the run-off area.

However, at the restart, Lulham made an overly ambitious lunge on Luca Stolz at Turn 8, tagging the championship-winning Winward Racing car into a spin. The resulting drive-through penalty dropped the #3 Mercedes down the running order.

Verstappen climbed into the cockpit for the final 45 minutes, returning to the track down in 24th place. A subsequent safety car period—triggered by the retirement of the Rutronik Racing Lamborghini and a crash for Max Hesse in the WRT BMW—bunched the pack and offered the Dutchman the perfect opportunity to strike.

Restarting from 19th, Verstappen showcased his trademark pace and aggression under the night sky. In one scintillating sequence, he overtook three Pro-class entries in a single move. By the chequered flag, he had sliced through the field to ninth, picking off 15 cars during his sensational stint.

Historic breakthrough victory for GetSpeed

Adam Osieka's GetSpeed squad finally clinched their maiden overall victory in GT World Challenge Europe. The landmark triumph for the #17 red-and-white Mercedes-AMG GT3 was delivered by Maximilian Götz, Ralf Aron, and Fabian Schiller.

The trio dictated the pace for the majority of the race, crossing the line ahead of the Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining, and Bastian Buus. The podium was rounded out by Boutsen VDS's Porsche entry of Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci, and Alessio Picariello.

The defining moment in the battle for victory arrived after the first round of pit stops. A scrap between Preining and Boccolacci cost both drivers vital seconds, allowing Ralf Aron to pull clear into an uncontested lead and lay the foundations for the German squad's historic win.

Aron, who spent a significant portion of the season recovering from a severe crash at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, steadily built a commanding margin following the first safety car restart as chaos unfolded behind him.

A late safety car intervention wiped out the #17 crew's 10-second advantage, but Schiller kept his cool at the final restart. He pulled away decisively over the closing laps to take the chequered flag with a 5.062-second margin over the Lionspeed Porsche.