F1 champion Max Verstappen's team-mate 'passes out' after gruelling GT3 race

Juncadella, Verstappen and Gounon after NLS2 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Max Verstappen's team-mate 'passes out' after gruelling GT3 race

Jules Gounon races for Verstappen's GT racing team

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 12 April 2026 21:57

Verstappen Racing driver Jules Gounon was unwell during this weekend's GT World Challenge Europe race, and even passed out after his mammoth stint.

Gounon - who was Max Verstappen's team-mate at the NLS2 race last month which the team won but were then disqualified from - was racing in the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO at the six-hour endurance race around the Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend.

He, Chris Lulham and Daniel Juncadella managed to claim a ninth-place finished for Verstappen Racing, on the team's Pro Cup debut after winning the Gold Cup in the series last year.

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It was the same race in which F1 star Lance Stroll was racing for the Comtoyou Racing outfit, although Verstappen himself opted to sit this one out.

But during his two-hour stint in the car, Gounon could be heard struggling over team radio, with the commentators confirming that the Andorran had food poisoning.

The team wanted to swap Gounon out before having him back in for another stint later on in the race, but Gounon told his team that he wanted to just get it all done with and then rest.

But after his mammoth two-hour stint in the car, it was reported by GPFans' very own Vincent Bruins that Gounon 'passed out' and had to be taken to the on-track medical centre. Gounon stayed there for a 'couple of hours', but was ok to leave by his own accord after that. The GT racing legend claimed that it was 'one of the hardest' stints he had ever completed in racing.

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Aston Martin had six cars running in the race, and although Stroll and his team-mates finished 48th, the No.7 team of Mattia Drudi, Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim came home to take the victory.

That was after a late safety car wrecked the chances of the No.48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO trio of Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel, who dominated large parts of the race, but finished second.

As for Verstappen's GT3 racing team, Juncadella, Lulham and Gounon were ninth overall, but seventh in the pro-class standings, with two Gold Cup trios getting themselves in the top-10 mix too.

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