Ben Barnicoat, Max Verstappen’s teammate in the GT World Challenge at Portimão, is impressed by Verstappen. The Dutchman stands out in particular for being down-to-earth and keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
During a weekend without Formula 1, Verstappen is competing in the GT World Challenge in Portimão. His teammates are Barnicoat and Chris Lulham. Barnicoat raced against Verstappen in karting in the past and is now the Dutchman’s teammate.
After his stint, Barnicoat discussed working with Verstappen and the car Verstappen Racing is using this weekend. "It’s not a new car for me, as I’ve raced a Mercedes several times before. In IMSA, of course, I drove a Lexus. But there are some similarities. Things are going fairly well. Of course, I have very fast teammates who are doing a great job. Today is an important day with qualifying."
Barnicoat impressed by Verstappen
Verstappen drove the first stint of the first free practice session in Portimão. Barnicoat is impressed by him. "It feels like having a regular GT teammate. He’s really down-to-earth, but he’s so talented. He hadn’t driven the car since the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. But when he got in for the first time yesterday, you immediately thought, ‘Wow,’ he was putting in fast lap times straight away," said a smiling Barnicoat.
"The same goes for Chris. He’s used to the car and is also very fast. I have to give it everything I’ve got to keep up with them, haha." Barnicoat also discussed the feedback Verstappen gave. "He was quite happy, but of course there’s always room for improvement. We have a fast car, though it isn’t the easiest to drive. The idea behind the longer run was to gather information, especially as it gets darker and cools down. Those conditions are the most similar to what we’ll face here."