GT World Challenge Portimão: Verstappen 15th, Boutsen VDS on pole
The newsroomUpdated on October 16, 20263 minGT World Challenge Europe qualifying at Portimão: Boutsen VDS's Belgian Porsche takes pole while Max Verstappen will start 15th in a 61-car field.
Key point
On his GT World Challenge Europe debut, Max Verstappen starts 15th of 61 at Portimão; the Boutsen VDS Porsche No. 2 is on pole, 0.553 s ahead of his Mercedes.
The Belgian Boutsen VDS team's Porsche 911 No. 2 will start from pole position for the GT World Challenge Europe finale at Portimão, Portugal. Max Verstappen, making his debut in the series, will start from 15th place on a grid of 61 cars, in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG run by Verstappen Racing.
Boutsen VDS on pole
The No. 2 car, shared by Dorian Boccolacci, Morris Schuring and Alessio Picariello, takes pole with an average of 1:42.071. Each car's result is the average of its three drivers' laps in Q1, Q2 and Q3, which is why a car's single best lap does not always lift it up the grid.
Behind them, GetSpeed's No. 17 Mercedes is second, 0.108 s back, ahead of Lionspeed's No. 80 Porsche and HRT's No. 64 Ford Mustang. AF Corse's No. 50 Ferrari is fifth and the No. 48 Mercedes sixth.
Verstappen 15th with a car that was not well set up
The No. 3 Mercedes averaged 1:42.624, 0.553 s off pole. Ben Barnicoat drove Q1 and qualified 21st, 0.679 s off, Chris Lulham then lifted the car to 15th in Q2, and Verstappen drove the final stint, in Q3. According to Crash.net, his best lap of the session did not move the car up, because the grid is decided on the average.
Barnicoat considers 15th not too bad given a wrong turn on set-up that cost speed, The Race reports. The F1 driver came out of encouraging practice sessions: 20th in the first, fourth in the second, after a first-session tangle that the stewards chose not to punish.
Rossi hit by track limits
Valentino Rossi, in WRT's No. 46 BMW M4 GT3 with Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen, had a lap that would have put him in the top ten deleted for track-limit violations, according to Crash.net. The car will start second-to-last, 60th of 61.
The Belgian picture
Several Belgian line-ups are well placed, DH.be says: Nicolas Baert's No. 65 Ford Mustang takes Silver-class pole and 13th overall, while Comtoyou Racing's No. 007 Aston Martin is ninth.
Race on Saturday
The race lasts three hours. It starts on Saturday 17 October at 17:00 local time, which is 18:00 in Belgium.
Frequently asked questions
Where will Verstappen start at Portimão?
15th on a 61-car grid, in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG he shares with Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham.
Who is on pole for the GT World Challenge at Portimão?
The Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 No. 2 of Dorian Boccolacci, Morris Schuring and Alessio Picariello, with an average of 1:42.071.
When is the race?
Saturday 17 October: three hours, starting at 17:00 local time, or 18:00 in Belgium.
How is the grid set?
Each car's result is the average of its three drivers' laps in Q1, Q2 and Q3, according to Crash.net.
Sources
- Crash.net — Verstappen struggles in GT World Challenge qualifying
- The Race — Troubled qualifying for Verstappen in GT
- Motorsport-Magazin — Verstappen struggles in qualifying, Porsche on pole at Portimão
- DH.be — Picariello and Boutsen VDS on pole for the 3 Hours of Portimão
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
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