Max Verstappen, Chris Lulham, and Ben Barnicoat are staring down a three-hour GT World Challenge Europe season finale at Portimao from a dismal 15th on the grid. This isn’t just a tough break, either. Another Mercedes-AMG GT3, the No. 17 GetSpeed entry, snagged a front-row start in second place, making Verstappen Racing’s No. 3 team’s struggle even tougher to swallow.
The Shocking Quali Slide for No. 3
The issues for the 2 Seas-operated squad were obvious from the jump in Q1. Ben Barnicoat, who’s still getting used to this Mercedes after driving a Lexus, could only manage the 21st-fastest time. He was a full 0.679 seconds off the pace set by Morris Schuring in the pole-setting No. 2 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R, shared with Dorian Boccolacci and Alessio Picariello. Then Chris Lulham, who’s supposed to be the most experienced of the trio in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, took over for Q2 and got relegated to 16th in his group, trailing Dorian Boccolacci by 0.799 seconds.
Even Max Verstappen couldn’t turn the tide in Q3. While his gap to surprise session leader Simon Birch in the No. 71 Selected Car Leasing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo was the smallest of the three sessions at 0.441 seconds, it wasn’t enough to significantly improve the team’s position. Verstappen did lay down the entry’s fastest individual lap with a 1m42.093s, which was expected as track temperatures dropped, but the damage was done. When you average each driver’s fastest lap, the No. 3 entry ended up with a combined 1m42.624s, cementing their 15th overall spot.
What Exactly Went Wrong? Everything.
What’s the deal with this car? The Mercedes-AMG GT3 looked like it was suffering from three big problems during qualifying. First, the ride height seemed way too low, causing heavy sparks. We’re talking even by Mercedes-AMG standards, that’s a lot of fireworks. Then, the car was bouncing like crazy over the bumps and had some serious understeer through the sweeping hairpin turns at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, often snapping into oversteer as it exited corners. That sounds like a handful, right?
Barnicoat spilled the beans after qualifying, explaining that the team made set-up adjustments after the two Free Practice sessions. The car had strong pace then, but it was a beast to drive. And those changes? They completely backfired. “We felt like we’ve been missing a little bit of speed. We’ve been quite high up the time sheets, but none of us have been super happy,” Barnicoat explained. “So we tried a couple of things, and obviously it just didn’t quite work out. There was lots of sparking, as everyone saw on TV, and a lot of bouncing in straight lines. I think we just missed the window slightly.”
Tomorrow Is a New Day: From 15th to the Front?
Despite the frustrating qualifying, Barnicoat isn’t throwing in the towel for Saturday evening’s race. He’s openly admitted that getting used to the Mercedes has been a struggle for him, given its differences from the Lexus he used to drive. But he’s still got faith in his teammates and the team’s ability to turn things around. “Max has been strong and Chris has been strong, so I’m sure we’ll be okay tomorrow. We just got it a little bit wrong today,” he said.
The confidence is there, even after a tough day. “We know what we’re doing, and we know how to make it better. We’re all winners here, including a four-time world champion. We’re going to get down to business tomorrow and try to push our way to the front.” It’s a huge mountain to climb from 15th, but if anyone can do it, it’s this crew. Meanwhile, huge congrats to Boutsen VDS, Morris Schuring, Dorian Boccolacci, and Alessio Picariello for their emotional pole position, honoring Marc van der Straten. The race is on tomorrow, and Verstappen Racing has everything to prove.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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