Max Verstappen was embroiled in a collision during the first free‑practice session of the GT World Challenge Europe round at Portimao, jeopardising his grid position for Saturday’s race.
Collision under investigation
Only three minutes into the session at the 4.653‑km Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Verstappen spun the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Ezequiel Perez Companc at Turn 3 (Lagos). Five‑pence was the rear corner of the Audi, and Verstappen’s contact caused the Audi to spin through a field of 61 cars. Race control placed the incident under investigation, and Verstappen could face a grid penalty if the outcome is deemed avoidable.
Practice performance and team dynamics
After the incident, Verstappen set about refining the car’s set‑up, managing his pace through heavy traffic. He began in the lower twenties on the lap‑time leaderboard, rose to the tenth position after twenty minutes, and settled at fourteenth by the half‑hour mark. His best lap of 1:43.026 seconds resulted in a 20th‑place finish for the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes‑AMG GT3.
The team’s strategy saw Ben Barnicoat take the driver’s seat for the extended 48‑minute stint, marking his first public appearance in a Mercedes‑AMG GT3 since February 2025; the car was then handed back to Verstappen for the final eight minutes, coinciding with a Full Course Yellow. Team regular Chris Lulham did not feature in the opening session.
Fastest lap by Eastalent Racing
Christopher Haase set the quickest time of the session aboard the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, posting 1:42.643—a gap of 0.331 seconds over the best time reported during Thursday’s testing.
Competitive field and other lead‑pack drivers
The performance of the #32 WRT BMW, piloted by Kelvin van der Linde, Jordan Pepper and Charles Weerts, edged Haase by 0.004 seconds, keeping the top five separated by less than a tenth of a second. No less notable was the presence of the #46 WRT BMW, shared by Neil Verhagen, Max Hesse and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, which joined the tight pack.
Fifty entries sat within one second of the fastest lap, a dense ranking even by GTWC Europe standards. Free‑Practice 2 is scheduled to commence at 12:45pm local time, where teams will aim to secure clear lines and confirm tyre choices after Thursday’s two‑hour test.
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