Verstappen recovers to ninth after Portimão drive-through

Max Verstappen recovered to ninth in the GT World Challenge race at Portimão after a drive-through sent Verstappen Racing’s #3 Mercedes back to P24. The car had looked capable of a podium before the penalty; Verstappen then had to climb through the field in his stint.

Ben Barnicoat moved the car from P13 to P8 in his opening stint. Chris Lulham then climbed to sixth and began closing on the leading #17 Mercedes. On his first attempt to pass the #48 Mercedes for fifth, Lulham made contact and the #48 spun. A drive-through followed, which Lulham served before his stint ended.

A later full-course yellow was followed by a safety car that brought the field closer together. Verstappen was P19 at the restart, then P18 with 20 minutes remaining and P15 with 15 minutes left, three seconds behind Arthur Leclerc’s #50 Ferrari in tenth.

In the closing phase, Verstappen gained three places in one move to finish ninth. The #17 Mercedes won ahead of the #80 Porsche, while Morris Schuring’s #2 Porsche completed the podium in third.