Max Verstappen GT Challenge: Portimao schedule, and how to watch live for FREE

There may be no F1 action this weekend but as we know by now that won't stop Max Verstappen racing when he competes in the GT World Challenge at Portimao.

And it's all by accident. The four-time F1 world champion is only making his debut in the series because two regular drivers for his Verstappen Racing team in Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon have clashing commitments due to a rescheduled World Endurance Championship (WEC) race in Barcelona.

Verstappen will team up with two British drivers, including the team's regular driver and friend Chris Lulham, while Ben Barnicoat steps in as a reserve for Saturday's three-hour endurance race.

The last time Verstappen was racing a GT3 car was when he competed in the Nurburgring 24 Hour race back in May where he was on course to win before a unfortunate mechanical failure put him out of the race.

Racing in a No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Verstappen will be the main focus at Portimao, which is the season finale for the GT World Challenge that has already crowned its champions with Lucas Auer and Maro Engel.

However, there is a strong support cast too including seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi who will be racing against Verstappen in the Pro class with a BMW M4 GT3... which of course features his iconic No. 46.

But how can you watch Verstappen race against Rossi? GPFans gives you all the details below including dates, times and free live stream options as well as the entry list.

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GT World Challenge in Portimao schedule

All times below are local and UK time

How to watch Max Verstappen in the GT World Challenge in Portimao

Every single session will be streamed live on the SRO's official YouTube channel for the events which you can find on this link.

Below is an embed where you can watch the race live.

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GT3 World Challenge entry list

The entry list for Portimao - which also includes former F1 star Nikita Mazepin, back after a long ban imposed on Russian drivers was ended - is as follows:

Has Portimao ever hosted an F1 race?

Portimao has hosted two F1 races as stand ins for the Covid affected campaigns of 2020 and 2021 - both being won by Lewis Hamilton.

However, it will be back on the calendar for the 2027 and 2028 seasons in a two-year agreement.

Portimao is the only Portuguese circuit to host an F1 race since Estoril in 1996.

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

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