Two contrasting GT careers in Verstappen’s planned line-up

Max Verstappen was not a regular in the Verstappen Racing team, but was due to step in as a reserve and share the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat. Their routes into GT racing differ sharply: Lulham came from sim racing, while Barnicoat has a factory-driver résumé and an IMSA GTD Pro title.

With Verstappen’s support, Lulham made the jump into real-world GT machinery. By 2026 he was a regular in Verstappen Racing cars and already knew how the team operated.

Barnicoat is a Lexus factory driver and races the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 for Vasser Sullivan in IMSA. He took two GT World Challenge Europe pole positions in 2021. After four years in McLaren’s factory driver programme, he moved to Lexus in 2022.

That year, Barnicoat won the Asian Le Mans Series GT title in a McLaren, then Petit Le Mans in his first season with Lexus. He and Jack Hawksworth took the 2023 IMSA GTD Pro title; a Sebring GTD Pro win followed in 2024.

The qualifying format gave all three a part in setting the grid: each driver was to set a lap in a separate session, with the average of their three times determining the starting order.