Patrese on Verstappen’s GT adventure: ‘Perhaps even more fun than in Formula 1’

Patrese Jr. committed to GT racing at a young age. He raced in Formula 4 in 2020 and 2021 for the team run by Marco Antonelli, Kimi Antonelli’s father, before deciding to switch to GT cars. He was fast right away, and soon made his debut at the 24 Hours of Spa, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Bathurst. This year, he is competing for Kessel Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance series in the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

"It’s great to have Max here," Patrese told GPblog in Portimão. "I think he might even be enjoying GT racing more than Formula 1 this year!" the Italian laughs. "Okay, the last few Grands Prix have gone pretty well for him. But I don’t think we’ll cross paths in this race, because we’re competing in different classes." Patrese is part of a Bronze lineup, while Verstappen Racing has entered the Pro Cup.

"I’d definitely like to race against Max one day. I don’t think I’m at his level," he says modestly, "but I do have a few cards I can play. So it would definitely be fun," Patrese smiles. He certainly has plenty of experience, having competed in many GT championships and raced a variety of chassis.

As mentioned, Patrese has already competed in several prestigious endurance races. He would love to add the 24 Hours of Nürburgring to that list. The four-time world champion made his debut there in May 2026. "Yes, we’ll see," Patrese says when asked about taking part himself. "It would be great. But he knows the Nordschleife better, so he has an advantage there!" he says, before explaining that he, like Verstappen, has also completed plenty of virtual laps.

Patrese and Verstappen naturally have other things in common: their fathers are former Formula 1 drivers. Riccardo Patrese started a total of 256 Formula 1 races and drove for teams including Alfa Romeo and Williams. "I think my father always got involved in the right way: not too much, but he was always there. Especially at the start of my career, when, as I said, I started karting quite late. His help was incredibly important to me in those early years," Patrese explains.

"He was also very involved when I was racing in Formula 4 and during my first year or two in GT racing. But over the past two and a half years, he’s come to some races, not all of them. I think he took that step to give me a little room to stand on my own," he smiles. "GT racing is a world he knows to some extent, but not inside out. So he mainly gave me advice on how to work with the team and how to be a good team member, rather than on the driving itself. He understood that I was already becoming a bit more independent in that respect."