Verstappen hopes to avoid Rossi on track as pair meet in GT3 season finale at Portimao

Max Verstappen will share a GT3 starting grid with Valentino Rossi for the first time when the GT World Challenge Europe Cup season finale takes place at Portimao, Portugal, from 16-18 October — a race weekend slotted between two consecutive Formula 1 triple-headers that will see the four-time world champion racing for seven weekends in a row.

Verstappen confirmed his entry after claiming pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend in Sepang, telling media he was looking forward to the challenge but, in typically dry fashion, hoped not to encounter Rossi during the race itself.

“Yeah, I hope I get to see him,” Verstappen said. “He’s a very cool guy, so I hope to catch up with him. I mean, it’s nice, but I do not hope to see him in the race, so that’s normally a good sign.”

The Dutchman added that his ambition was simply to run at the front. “I actually hope to see no one, to be just up front and do a good job. But you never know. The grid is super competitive, so I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”

Rossi, who retired from MotoGP at the end of 2021 after winning nine world championships, has since built a full programme in GT racing, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Cup, the 24H GT Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

For Verstappen, the Portimao outing follows his first taste of GT racing this year at the Nordschleife. “It’s very different to Formula 1, but I love it,” he said. “Portimão is a very cool track to drive. So I’m just going to enjoy it and, of course, as a team, we’ll try to do the best we can to get a good result out of it.”