GT World Challenge Europe Portimão: GetSpeed fights to victory in season finale; Verstappen storms through the field

Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed won the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup race at Portimão, as Ralf Aron, Maximilian Götz and Fabian Schiller beat the Porsches of Lionspeed GP and Boutsen VDS after three hours of racing. Max Verstappen dropped to 24th after a drive-through penalty but fought back to finish ninth.

Picariello holds firm at the start

Alessio Picariello kept the lead at the start for Boutsen VDS, while Lionspeed GP’s Thomas Preining immediately passed Maximilian Götz in the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG for second. Preining stayed close to the leading Porsche in the opening laps, looking for a way past, but Picariello slowly built a small gap. Götz, meanwhile, stayed right on the back of the Lionspeed car.

The top three held station, while Ben Barnicoat climbed from 15th to 11th in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG.

The first Full Course Yellow came out after 20 minutes when the #49 Ferrari was taken out at the exit of Turn 4. Racing resumed five minutes later with the leading trio still running close together.

Götz kept the pressure on the Lionspeed Porsche, while Jordan Pepper spun Lilou Wadoux’s #50 AF Corse Ferrari at Turn 5.

Pit stops and strategy shake up the order

Lionspeed was the first of the leading trio to pit after an hour, with Preining handing over to Ricardo Feller. Boutsen VDS stopped a lap later and put Dorian Boccolacci in the car.

The two Porsches came out side by side. On cold tyres, Boccolacci and Feller banged wheels, but the Frenchman kept the position.

Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed kept Götz out longer, and the extra laps paid off. When Ralf Aron rejoined after the #17’s first stop, he was ahead of both Porsches and into the lead.

Chris Lulham took over the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car in sixth place after a strong opening stint from Barnicoat.

The retirement of the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche brought out the second Full Course Yellow. Around the same phase of the race, the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi, running third in Gold Cup, was handed a drive-through penalty for exceeding the maximum stint time by 76 seconds.

With the field bunched up again, the leading five cars were fighting nose to tail. Contact between the #54 Dinamic GT and #9 Pure Rxcing Porsches then triggered another Full Course Yellow, which became the first Safety Car of the race.

Late penalties and Verstappen’s charge

Racing resumed with just over an hour to go, and Joseph Loake made a strong restart to take Garage 59’s McLaren from fourth to third.

Further back, Verstappen Racing’s afternoon took a turn for the worse. Lulham tried an ambitious move down the inside of the #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG at Turn 8, made contact and spun it around, earning the #3 crew a drive-through penalty.

Things got worse for the #99 Audi too, as a puncture dropped it further down the order.

With 40 minutes left, the Portuguese crowd erupted as Max Verstappen climbed into the #3 Mercedes-AMG in third place. The four-time Formula 1 World Champion still had the drive-through to serve, though.

Another Full Course Yellow followed with 34 minutes to go after two cars went off. When racing resumed with 25 minutes left, Fabian Schiller still had a comfortable lead in the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed car.

Verstappen fell to 24th after serving the penalty, then gained 15 places in the closing stages to finish ninth.

At the front, Schiller brought the #17 Mercedes-AMG home to give GetSpeed, Aron and himself a maiden Endurance Cup win. For Götz, it was a first Endurance Cup victory since 2013. Lionspeed GP finished second, just over five seconds behind, with Boutsen VDS third after leading the opening hour of the race.

2027 starts at Paul Ricard

The 2027 GT World Challenge Europe season starts at Circuit Paul Ricard, with the official prologue on 13 and 14 April. The first race follows on 17 and 18 April, when the Endurance Cup opens with a six-hour race at the French circuit.

Overall Top 5

#17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Aron / Götz / Schiller) – Winner
#80 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R (Feller / Preining / Buus) – +5.062s
#2 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R (Schuring / Boccolacci / Picariello) – +5.411s
#71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 (Schandorff / Ebdrup / Birch) – +7.692s
#30 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 (Cordeel / Lismont / Montenegro) – +14.406s

Gold Cup Top 5

#71 Selected Car Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 (Schandorff / Ebdrup / Birch) – Winner
#998 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 (De Wilde / Tramnitz / Klingmann) – +10.260s
#60 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 (Stevenson / Altoè / Lappalainen) – +21.528s
#58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 (Fleming / Prette / Goethe) – +24.641s
#4 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 (Tomlinson / George / Smalley) – +1:11.944

Silver Cup Top 5

#30 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 (Cordeel / Lismont / Montenegro) – Winner
#6 GetSpeed Team Bartone Bros Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Bartone / Panis / Gazeau) – +3.860s
#66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 (Øgaard / Mazzola / Levi) – +13.320s
#5 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 (Rappange / Oliveira / Porter) – +16.718s
#65 HRT Ford Racing Mustang GT3 (Oosten / Baert / Coseteng) – + 22.221s