Max Verstappen fought his way back to ninth place in the 2026 3 Hours of Portimão, recovering from a costly drive-through penalty before becoming involved in a late battle with Ferrari driver Arthur Leclerc. The four-time Formula 1 world champion produced an impressive final stint in the GT World Challenge Europe race, with the fight against Charles Leclerc’s younger brother providing one of the closing stages’ most interesting moments.
Verstappen’s #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, entered by Verstappen Racing and shared with Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham, had fallen as low as 24th following an earlier incident. A combination of overtakes and race neutralisations helped the crew recover to ninth overall and fifth in the Pro class, one place ahead of the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 featuring Arthur Leclerc.
Max Verstappen and Arthur Leclerc battle in dramatic Portimão finish
The decisive phase of Verstappen’s race began when he took over the Mercedes shortly before 8:15 p.m. local time. Having inherited a car running in 24th position, the Dutchman immediately faced a difficult task as he attempted to recover the ground lost earlier in the three-hour endurance contest.
Further interruptions to the race helped create opportunities for the Verstappen Racing entry. With 20 minutes remaining, the four-time F1 champion had climbed to 16th, before improving to 14th with approximately 13 minutes left on the clock.
At that stage, Verstappen was pursuing the Ferrari driven by Tommaso Mosca. His progress continued with an aggressive sequence in which he completed two overtakes in consecutive corners, moving into tenth place during his late charge through the field.
That recovery brought him into direct competition with Arthur Leclerc, who was racing the #50 AF Corse Ferrari alongside Lorenzo Patrese Costa and Lilou Wadoux. The Monegasque driver, younger brother of Ferrari Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc, exchanged positions with Verstappen in the final minutes as the two fought for a place inside the overall top ten.
Verstappen eventually secured ninth position, while the AF Corse crew completed the race in tenth. The contest added another chapter to the on-track encounters involving Verstappen and the Leclerc family, following their earlier Formula 1 practice-session encounter involving Arthur Leclerc.
Drive-through penalty damages Verstappen Racing’s early progress
Before Verstappen took over, his teammates had put the #3 Mercedes in contention for a much stronger result. Starting 15th, Ben Barnicoat delivered a productive opening stint, steadily moving through the field and reaching the top ten. His progress included an overtake on Nicki Thiim’s Aston Martin.
Chris Lulham maintained that momentum after the first round of pit stops. The Mercedes climbed to sixth place, running behind the #59 McLaren and #48 Mercedes as the crew continued its recovery from its starting position.
However, the race changed during the second hour. Following a restart after a neutralisation, Lulham made contact with Luca Stolz in the #48 Mercedes, causing the rival car to spin. The stewards subsequently imposed a drive-through penalty on the Verstappen Racing entry.
The sanction erased much of the progress made during the opening two stints and left Verstappen with considerable ground to recover. Although the eventual ninth-place finish was below the position the crew had reached earlier, the closing stint demonstrated how quickly the order could change amid overtaking opportunities and repeated interruptions.
Ferrari secures fourth as Arthur Leclerc finishes tenth
While Arthur Leclerc’s AF Corse crew narrowly missed out on a higher overall finish, another Ferrari entry secured fourth place in the 3 Hours of Portimão. The #71 Ferrari of Selected Car Racing, shared by Frederik Schandorff, William Ebdrup and Christian Birch, finished as the leading Gold-class entry in the provisional classification.
The #50 Ferrari of Arthur Leclerc, Costa and Wadoux completed the top ten in the Pro category, immediately behind Verstappen Racing. The performance continued Leclerc’s involvement in GT competition, where he has been developing his experience with Ferrari machinery. His previous activities have included a notable GT World Challenge victory at Brands Hatch.
The Portimão result also highlighted the different outcomes available to Ferrari’s GT crews across the event, with the #71 entry finishing inside the overall top five while the AF Corse car remained involved in the closing battle for the final top-ten positions. Ferrari’s wider involvement in the championship forms part of its GT and endurance racing programme.
GetSpeed Mercedes wins Portimão as Valentino Rossi hits trouble
At the front of the field, victory went to the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller. The winning crew overcame the challenge of several Porsche entries in a race heavily influenced by pit-stop timing, neutralisations and changes in the lead.
Aron gained an important advantage over the Porsche competitors during the first sequence of pit stops, while Schiller completed the job during the final stages. The #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche finished second, followed by the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche in third.
Elsewhere, Valentino Rossi experienced a difficult race in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Starting from 60th position, the Italian’s crew faced another setback when the BMW went into the gravel at Turn 3 with approximately 35 minutes remaining.
That incident prompted a Full Course Yellow period, followed by the deployment of the Safety Car, adding another interruption to an already unpredictable race.
2026 GT World Challenge Portimão results: provisional top ten
The provisional overall classification for the 3 Hours of Portimão was as follows:
| Pos. | Car | Team | Drivers | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #17 | GetSpeed (Mercedes) | Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz, Fabian Schiller | Pro |
| 2 | #2 | Boutsen VDS (Porsche) | Schuring, Boccolacci, Picariello | Pro |
| 3 | #80 | Lionspeed GP (Porsche) | Feller, Preining, Buus | Pro |
| 4 | #71 | Selected Car Racing (Ferrari) | Schandorff, Ebdrup, Birch | Gold |
| 5 | #30 | Team WRT (BMW) | Cordeel, Lismont, Montenegro | Silver |
| 6 | #998 | Rowe Racing (BMW) | De Wilde, Tramnitz, Klingmann | Pro |
| 7 | #991 | Paradine Competition (BMW) | Kellett, Leung, De Haan | Bronze |
| 8 | #8 | Car Collection Motorsport (Porsche) | Krahn, Armanni, Sturm | Bronze |
| 9 | #3 | Verstappen Racing (Mercedes) | Max Verstappen, Ben Barnicoat, Chris Lulham | Pro |
| 10 | #50 | AF Corse (Ferrari) | Costa, Arthur Leclerc, Wadoux | Pro |
Provisional overall classification at the chequered flag.
For Verstappen, the race concluded with a recovery from 24th to ninth after a penalty interrupted his team’s early progress. For Arthur Leclerc, the closing encounter delivered a direct fight against one of Formula 1’s most successful current drivers, with their respective Mercedes and Ferrari crews ultimately separated by just one position in the final classification.
Leave a Reply