F1 star Max Verstappen given a penalty after stewards finish looking into GT3 investigation
Max Verstappen has been told about his penalties after the GT World Challenge stewards looked into a crash during the first practice session at the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup weekend in Portugal. Verstappen is racing in the team event at Algarve with Mercedes-AMG Verstappen Racing. His teammates include Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella, and British drivers Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham.
The stewards checked out Verstappen’s collision with Sainteloc Racing’s Audi during the third practice session and gave him a warning and a Behavioural Warning Point. According to Planet F1, “On a busy track, Verstappen tried to pass the Audi on the inside at Turn 3 just as the door closed, causing the cars to touch.” The Audi spun around facing Verstappen’s car, and onboard footage showed Verstappen raising his hand in frustration.
At 29, Verstappen is making the most of a break in the F1 calendar to try something new. He has been racing in endurance events at Germany’s Nurburgring over the past few seasons and returned to grand tourer racing after taking part in the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Nurburgring in May. Now, he’s racing at the Algarve International Circuit for the final weekend of the GT World Challenge season, fitting it in between F1 races in Singapore and the United States.
After Friday’s first practice session, Verstappen’s team was in 20th place as they prepare for the main three-hour endurance race. Meanwhile, seven-time F1 world champ Lewis Hamilton is enjoying his time off by surfing in Bali. He’s currently third in the world championship, behind Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Charles Leclerc is relaxing at home in Monaco, Liam Lawson is likely getting ready for his musical show in Austin next weekend, and Valtteri Bottas is chilling in the Australian outback.
The F1 action will pick up soon with the United States GP at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas next weekend. Antonelli leads the championship by 102 points over Russell, with Hamilton a few points behind in third. Verstappen is in third place, 119 points behind Antonelli, and is coming off two big wins in Malaysia and Singapore—his first victories of a strong but sometimes tricky 2026 season. Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar is currently eighth in the standings.