F1 champion Max Verstappen's team-mate 'passes out' following mammoth GT3 stint

Verstappen Racing after NLS2 victory — Photo: © IMAGO

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Verstappen's team-mate 'passes out' following mammoth GT3 stint

Jules Gounon races for Verstappen's GT racing team

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Monday 13 April 2026 22:59

Max Verstappen's team-mate from a previous NLS2 race passed out following a recent GT3 race.

Jules Gounon - who races for Verstappen Racing - was driving the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO at a six-hour endurance race around the Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend, putting in a two-hour stint during the sunset conditions.

He, Chris Lulham and Daniel Juncadella managed to claim a ninth-place finish on the team's GT World Challenge Europe 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.

Who won the Six Hours of Paul Ricard GT3 race?

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.

F1 Max Verstappen Mercedes