Motorsport legends Max Verstappen and Valentino Rossi take on the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe finale in Portimao this weekend. This is how and where you can watch it.
Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen will follow up dominant victories at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and Singapore Grand Prix by making his GT World Challenge Europe debut.
Verstappen will get behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 under the Verstappen Racing banner along with Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat for the three-hour race held at the Algarve International Circuit near Portimao in Portugal.
The grid will be formed of a 61-cars including MotoGP legend Rossi, who will race against Verstappen for the first time. Nine-time grand prix motorcycle champion Rossi will be racing in a BMW for Team WRT.
Ex-MotoGP rider Rossi is a BMW factory driver
© XPB Images
Verstappen’s participation means he will be racing for seven consecutive weekends, with the GT World Challenge Europe season-ender falling on his only free weekend between two F1 triple-headers.
What is the 2026 GT World Challenge Portimao schedule?
The GT World Challenge Europe Portimao takes place between 16-18 October.
Two practice sessions take place on Friday along with qualifying. The GT World Challenge Endurance Cup Race takes place on Saturday.
Friday
8:45-10:15 am (UK time) - Free Practice 1
12:45-2:15 pm (UK time) - Free Practice 2
5:55-7.05 pm (UK time) - Qualifying
Saturday
5pm - 8pm (UK time) - Race
How can I watch the 2026 GT World Challenge Portimao for free?
It will be Verstappen's first GT3 outing since competing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
The GT World Challenge is available to watch for free in multiple languages and will be live-streamed on the GTWorld YouTube channel.
What have Verstappen and Rossi said about racing each other?
Verstappen revealed he hopes to catch up with Rossi during the weekend.
“I hope I get to see him," the Dutchman 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.
"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.
"It’s very different to Formula 1, but I love it. I mean, I had my first taste already this year at the Nordschleife, and 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.”
Meanwhile, Rossi told Sky Sport Italy: "It's going to be amazing. I mean, it will be a big problem because he’s [Verstappen] sure to be incredibly fast, but it will be fantastic. I have to say, I never imagined I’d be racing towards Max Verstappen.
"So it’s great, it’ll be great for everyone to have him there, and I hope I get the chance to follow him and see how he drives.”
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