Max Verstappen sets bold target for GT World Challenge in Portimao

Max Verstappen has set his sights on winning this weekend's GT World Challenge Europe finale at Portimao, despite it being his first appearance in the championship.

The four-time F1 champion will race the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, stepping in for regular drivers Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, who are committed to a clashing World Endurance Championship round.

Verstappen will share the car with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat at the Algarve circuit, with each driver expected to complete roughly an hour at the wheel during Saturday's three-hour Endurance Cup race.

It marks Verstappen's first competitive outing in GT World Challenge Europe, though not his first taste of GT3 machinery this year. 

The Dutchman won on his category debut at the Nürburgring's NLS9 round alongside Lulham in a Ferrari 296 GT3, and later led the Nürburgring 24 Hours in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 before a late driveshaft failure ended his race.

Speaking ahead of the Portimao weekend, Verstappen made clear that enjoyment will not come at the expense of ambition.

"To have fun, of course," he said, speaking to Verstappen.com. "But the competitive spirit in me naturally wants to perform well too, right? We are here to win. That is always the goal."

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Verstappen facing 'high level'

Verstappen also pointed to the endurance format itself as a major draw, given he rarely shares a cockpit in his day job.

"For me, the endurance aspect is particularly appealing," he added.

"Sharing a car with teammates is something I haven't really done in my career so far. Of course, I've already had a taste of it on the Nordschleife, and I really enjoyed it. Getting this opportunity now in the GT World Challenge is very exciting."

The GT3 category regularly draws grids of more than 60 cars, with the SRO's Balance of Performance system equalising everything from front-engined road-derived machines to mid-engined factory prototypes.

Verstappen acknowledged the strength of the opposition he will face at Portimao.

"The level is very high," he said. "I have raced against some of them in the past when we were younger. Others are a bit older than me, but they have already achieved a lot all over the world.

"I think the high level also explains why there are so many cars on the grid: everyone wants to compete in one of the strongest GT championships."

Qualifying for the Portimao finale takes place on Friday evening, starting at 5.55 pm BST, with the three-hour race itself scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, starting at 5 pm.