Verstappen to start 15th in GT race at Portimao

Max Verstappen is once again using a gap in the Formula 1 calendar to go GT racing. The Dutch driver is competing alongside Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat in the GT World Challenge round at Portugal's Portimao circuit. But the Mercedes shared by the trio failed to deliver the expected performance in qualifying and could only manage 15th on a 61-car grid.

Contact in practice

Verstappen's return to GT racing got off to an eventful start. On the first lap of morning practice, in heavy traffic, he made light contact with the Audi driven by Ezequiel Perez Companc, sending his rival into a spin. The stewards investigated the incident but imposed no penalty.

The crew's pace picked up as the day went on. By the end of the second practice session, the Mercedes run by 2 Seas Motorsport had climbed as high as fourth on the timesheets.

Setup change backfires

The picture changed in the twilight qualifying session. The Mercedes of Verstappen's crew was seen running noticeably lower than most other cars on track and throwing up plenty of sparks from the ground. The result was a starting spot in the middle of the grid.

Ben Barnicoat, one of the team's drivers, said 15th could have been worse but acknowledged that the car's setup had gone in the wrong direction. Barnicoat said the team felt they were lacking some speed, and that although they had been near the top of the order, none of the drivers was entirely happy. The British driver said they therefore tried a few things that did not produce the desired result, adding that the car was frequently hitting the ground and bouncing on the straights and that they had slightly missed the setup.

Porsche takes pole

The three-hour race starts Saturday at 5 p.m. local time. Pole position belongs to the Boutsen VDS Porsche shared by Dorian Boccalacci, Morris Schuring and Alessio Picariello. The question now is how far Verstappen and his teammates can climb from 15th over the long race.