Max Verstappen will race against Valentino Rossi at Portimão after confirming his participation in the next GT World Challenge event. The four-time Formula 1 world champion will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 entered by Verstappen Racing during the break between two demanding stretches of the 2026 F1 calendar.
Portimão will therefore host an unusually prestigious motorsport meeting from 16 to 18 October. Alongside the GT World Challenge Endurance race itself, the Portuguese circuit will see Max Verstappen and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi competing at the same event for the first time.
Max Verstappen to race GT3 at Portimão during Formula 1 break
The event falls during Formula 1’s weekend off. Max Verstappen will arrive after the current triple-header comprising Baku, the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore, before Formula 1 begins another run of three consecutive events in the Americas at Austin, Mexico and Brazil.
Rather than spending that week away from competition, Max Verstappen will return to the cockpit and race the Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by his own team at the Portuguese circuit.
It will be the Dutchman’s first appearance in the SRO-organised GT World Challenge series. The event will also put him directly up against Valentino Rossi, who competes in the same Pro category with Team WRT and official BMW support.
Max Verstappen and Valentino Rossi set for Portimão crossover
Max Verstappen confirmed his participation ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. It will be his first GT3 race since taking part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May.
The unexpected opportunity at Portimão emerged following a late change to the World Endurance Championship calendar. That created a clash for two of Verstappen Racing’s regular drivers, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, who will instead be competing in the 6 Hours of Barcelona for Alpine and Genesis respectively.
“I know that two of the three drivers in the line-up won’t be there. Two other drivers are needed and I’m looking forward to racing,” Max Verstappen explained.
“Obviously I would have been very happy for my regular drivers to race, but calendars sometimes change. And that’s fine. I really like Portimão, I really like Portugal. So we’ll try to have a good weekend.”
The Dutchman is fully aware that adding another race to an already demanding Formula 1 schedule will make the coming weeks particularly intense.
“It will definitely be seven very busy weeks. But we’ll do it and I’ll enjoy it. Let’s see what we can do.”
Portimão continues Max Verstappen’s growing GT3 programme
Max Verstappen’s GT World Challenge appearance is likely to represent another step in his growing involvement with GT3 racing.
Earlier this year, Verstappen Racing came close to winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours before a mechanical problem struck during the closing stages, denying the team victory after it had spent much of the race at the front.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion is expected to attempt the Nürburgring 24 Hours again in 2027 as he continues expanding his racing activities beyond Formula 1.
Max Verstappen has also maintained his ambition of finding the opportunity to contest the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, another of GT racing’s biggest endurance events.
For now, however, attention turns to Portimão and a rare meeting between two of motorsport’s most recognisable names. Max Verstappen will arrive from the Formula 1 paddock, while Valentino Rossi continues his established GT programme with BMW and Team WRT.
The timing makes the appearance even more notable. Portimão sits directly between two demanding Formula 1 triple-headers on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, meaning Max Verstappen will effectively replace his only free race weekend with another competitive outing behind the wheel.
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