Verstappen Just Entered the Hardest Race of His Career

Max Verstappen is about to face one of the most stacked GT3 grids of his racing career. 61 GT3 cars. 10 manufacturers. World champions. Endurance racing legends. And one four-time Formula 1 world champion driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3. At the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe finale in Portimão, Max Verstappen will race against some of the biggest names in motorsport — including nine-time motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi, Charles Leclerc's younger brother Arthur Leclerc, Formula E champion Jake Dennis, and GT racing legends Maro Engel, Mirko Bortolotti and Thomas Preining. But this isn't Formula 1. Verstappen will share the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, competing in a three-hour endurance race where strategy, traffic, pit stops and teamwork matter just as much as outright speed. And there's another twist. Just days after winning the Singapore Grand Prix for Red Bull, Verstappen is stepping into a Mercedes — representing his own Verstappen Racing team. In this video, we break down why Max is racing at Portimão, the incredible champions standing in his way, how GT3 endurance racing works, and whether he genuinely has a chance of winning against the world's best GT specialists. Can Max Verstappen beat Valentino Rossi, Maro Engel and a grid full of GT3 champions? 🏁 What's your prediction — Top 5, podium or victory? Let us know in the comments! 🏎️ Subscribe to RaceScope for more Max Verstappen stories, Formula 1 documentaries, GT3 racing and motorsport analysis. 💬 Join the RaceScope Discord:   / discord   #MaxVerstappen #F1 #Formula1 #GT3 #ValentinoRossi #GTWorldChallenge #Portimao #MercedesAMGGT3 #VerstappenRacing #Motorsport #RaceScope 0:00 The Unexpected Mercedes Switch 1:07 Building a Team from the Ground Up 2:36 Mastering the Portimao Rollercoaster 3:56 A Field of Legends and Rivals 6:52 The Art of Endurance Teamwork