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Verstappen Racing qualifies 15th after troubled Portimão run
A bouncing Mercedes and a suspected splitter issue hampered Verstappen Racing as the #3 entry qualified 15th at Portimão.
Verstappen Racing will start 15th at Portimão after a difficult qualifying session left Max Verstappen, Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham outside the fight for pole position. The #3 Mercedes GT3 bounced heavily on the straights, while sparks from beneath the car later pointed to a possible splitter problem.
The three drivers shared the car in qualifying for the GT World Challenge Europe event, which began at 18:55 local time. The session used three segments, with Verstappen Racing placed in the B group. Pro and Gold teams had to send each driver out for a stint, and the average from their laps was combined with the A group’s results to determine the order.
Barnicoat and Lulham could not close the gap
Barnicoat took the opening ten-minute Q1B segment. His first flying lap put him 10th, but he could not improve and ended the session 21st. The bouncing Mercedes was visible on the straights. Morris Schuring led the times in the #2 Porsche.
Lulham drove in Q2B and also reached 10th before slipping to 15th. Although his lap improved the team’s average, it was not enough to bring the Mercedes back into contention. Porsche continued to set the pace: Schuring’s team-mate Dorian Boccolacci pushed the #2 car ahead of Thomas Preining’s #80 Porsche. Maximilian Götz was the fastest Mercedes driver, in third.
The session followed earlier track action in Portugal, covered in F1LivePulse’s Verstappen Racing Portimão reports.
Verstappen’s quicker lap still leaves the team 15th
Verstappen had the final stint, aiming to secure the strongest possible grid position. He was notably quicker than Barnicoat and Lulham, but his opening lap left the car 13th and the team ultimately remained 15th. Sparks were again visible under the Mercedes; a splitter issue was considered the likely cause and may have cost the team time.
The #2 Porsche took pole, giving Schuring a strong result on home soil. The three-hour race is scheduled to start at 17:00 BST on Saturday, with the finish due at 20:00 BST. F1LivePulse’s Portimão qualifying stream coverage provides another route to follow the event.