Verstappen Racing qualifies 15th as Porsche secures Portimao pole
2 sources • 1 min read • Latest: Oct 16, 2026, 7:43 PM
Last updated Oct 16, 2026
Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham, and Ben Barnicoat qualified 15th for the GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimao. The No. 3 Verstappen Racing team faced challenges with car setup, experiencing bouncing and understeer during the qualifying sessions. Their closest competitors, the No. 17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3, claimed second on the grid. While Barnicoat stated the team misjudged setup adjustments, he remains optimistic about their performance in the upcoming race scheduled for Saturday evening.
- •Verstappen Racing managed only the 15th fastest time in qualifying.
- •Boutsen VDS took pole position with a time of 1m42.071s.
- •The team's setup adjustments after practice led to difficulties in qualifying.
- •The race will take place on Saturday evening.
- 7:43 PMYahoo Sports — Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
- 7:43 PMMotorsport.com — Verstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
"Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham, and Ben Barnicoat struggled in qualifying for the three-hour GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimao, managing only 15th on the grid. Compounding the result for the No. 3 Verstappen Racing team was the fact that another Mercedes-AMG GT3—the No. 17 GetSpeed entry shared by Ralf Aron, Maximilian Gotz, and Fabian Schiller—qualified on the front row in ...Keep reading
"Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat missed the set-up window in qualifying as Boutsen VDS claimed pole at the GTWC Europe finale
Sources
External links- Yahoo SportsOct 16, 2026, 7:43 PMVerstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat missed the set-up window in qualifying as Boutsen VDS claimed pole at the GTWC Europe finale
- Motorsport.comOct 16, 2026, 7:43 PMVerstappen Racing struggles to 15th as Porsche takes emotional Portimao pole
Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham, and Ben Barnicoat struggled in qualifying for the three-hour GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimao, managing only 15th on the grid. Compounding the result for the No. 3 Verstappen Racing team was the fact that another Mercedes-AMG GT3—the No. 17 GetSpeed entry shared by Ralf Aron, Maximilian Gotz, and Fabian Schiller—qualified on the front row in ...Keep reading
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