Verstappen Racing misses pole by a wide margin in Portimão as Porsche strikes

Ahead of qualifying, Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing had already announced its driver line-up: Ben Barnicoat would take Q1, Chris Lulham Q2 and Max Verstappen Q3. Unlike in Formula 1, a single driver's lap is not particularly important here. The fastest laps set by all three drivers are averaged to determine their starting position on the grid.

Qualifying began just before sunset, and the falling temperatures were already noticeable. There was also a strong wind. The Ford Mustangs seemed to benefit, as Maxime Oosten in the #65 Mustang GT3 held P1 for a long time with a lap of 1:43.042. Towards the end of Q1, however, the #74 Ferrari and the #80 Porsche beat that time. The trio in the #99 Audi also joined the battle.

In the final minute of Q1, Morris Schuring pushed in the #2 Boutsen VDS Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, going almost a tenth of a second faster than the #7 Aston Martin. He set the new benchmark with a 1:42.445. Barnicoat had a moment in the final corner, which also disrupted the start of his second flying lap. He finished Q1 in P21, six tenths of a second behind the #2 Porsche.

As usual, the next part of qualifying began with ten minutes for the Silver and Bronze Cup cars. The Dutch drivers competing in those classes are Huub van Eijndhoven (#91 Porsche), Jop Rappange, Nigel Schoonderwoerd and Yelmer Buurman (#77 BMW), Dante Rappange (#5 McLaren), Maxime Oosten (#65 Mustang) and Robert de Haan (#991).

Although Porsche made a strong start in Q2, the #30 BMW M4 GT3 Evo, driven in part by former Formula 2 driver Amaury Cordeel, took the lead. The #65 Mustang GT3 was once again very competitive, with Nicolas Baert setting the second-fastest time. After ten minutes of Group A, it was time for Group B, where Chris Lulham took to the track in search of a strong lap.

Meanwhile, the sun continued to sink, and parts of the track were already in shadow. That meant the track temperatures would continue to drop. Andrea Frassinetti in the #99 Audi set the first quick time, but Thomas Preining in the #80 Porsche soon beat it. A second later, the German's time was bettered again, with the #2 Porsche—this time driven by Dorian Boccolacci—setting a 1:42.321.

It was not until eight minutes into the session that another manufacturer joined the top three: the #51 Ferrari moved up to P3, just nineteen thousandths of a second behind the two Porsches. At that point, Lulham's time was good enough for P12: a lap of 1:42.903. He later improved it to 1:42.889. Judging by the other teams' performances and Barnicoat's lap in Q1, Verstappen Racing was not on course for pole position.

As in Q1 and Q2, the Bronze and Silver Cup cars took to the track first. Van Eijndhoven was among the first to go for a fast lap, but it was deleted for exceeding track limits. A real shame, as he was the fastest in the group at that point. Yelmer Buurman then put the #77 BMW in P2 with two purple sectors, but the Mercedes and Porsche cars soon struck back. After six minutes, Van Eijndhoven set the third-fastest time. De Haan also did well, posting the fifth-fastest time in the #991 BMW. That secured the Bronze Cup pole for him and his teammates.

After ten minutes, Group B took over and Verstappen was able to head out onto the track. The sun had almost set, and it was starting to feel a little chilly outside. In other words, conditions had changed completely since the start of qualifying. With three minutes on the clock, Verstappen began his first push lap. By then, the #2 and #80 Porsches were already blisteringly fast, but Boutsen VDS was exceptional and held a two-tenth advantage.

Verstappen set a 1:42.665, which was only good enough for the thirteenth-fastest time. He kept going until the chequered flag, but pole position remained out of reach. Averaging Lulham's and Barnicoat's lap times, Verstappen Racing finished in P15.