'Verstappen can race in GT3 event in Portugal for his own team'

The three-hour race will take place on Saturday, 17 October, at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. The weekend clashes with the World Endurance Championship race in Barcelona, where Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon will compete for the Alpine and Genesis hypercar teams, respectively. Although the WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona is scheduled for Sunday 18 October, It currently seems unlikely that the two Verstappen Racing drivers will do both events in one weekend.

For Verstappen's team, that would mean only Chris Lulham is available, while three drivers are needed for the car. Since that weekend in October falls exactly between the Singapore and US Grands Prix, there is an opportunity for Verstappen himself to step in.

This has not been confirmed, but the rumor was already circulating during the GT World Challenge weekend at the Nurburgring, where several other GT3 drivers told GPblog that the likelihood of it happening is high.

In this scenario, only one more driver would be needed. According to the rumor mill, Verstappen would like five-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou alongside himself and Lulham in the car.

The Spaniard previously contested the Indy 8 Hour in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2024. However, that reportedly will not happen this time. For now, it remains unknown which drivers will form the line-up if Gounon and Juncadella indeed both skip Portimao - and if they are set to miss it in the first place.

The organisers of both the WEC and GT World Challenge are doing their best to give drivers and personnel from multiple teams the opportunity to compete in both races during the same weekend. GTWCE has already taken steps by adjusting the weekend schedule, with the race being held on Saturday evening and qualifying likewise taking place on Friday evening.

The drivers would also be provided with organised transport to shuttle back and forth between the two venues. Besides Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, McLaren and BMW are also dealing with this logistical puzzle. Nevertheless, driving from Portimao to the nearest airport - Faro - still takes roughly one hour, with a two-hour flight to Barcelona after.

GPblog has inquired about the clash of schedule for various drivers. “We can’t confirm yet whether Jules Gounon or Daniel Juncadella will take part in the final GT World Challenge round in Portimao, nor can we confirm whether they will miss the event,” a Mercedes-AMG Motorsport spokesperson said.