Valentino Rossi Takes Lessons from Max Verstappen at Portimão: “It’ll Be a Big Problem”

Valentino Rossi and Max Verstappen will share the same starting grid for the first time. It will happen in Portimão, at the final round of the GT World Challenge Europe, scheduled for October 16–18, and the nine-time world champion makes no secret of his excitement—or of his respect for an opponent expected to be incredibly fast.

Speaking to Sky Sport, the Doctor was clear: "It’ll be fantastic. I mean, it’ll be a big problem because he’ll definitely be incredibly fast, but it’ll be fantastic". In reality, it’s an uneven matchup: Valentino Rossi was a motorcycle legend, but in cars he is a gentleman driver; Max Verstappen has won four Formula 1 world titles and is a force to be reckoned with when Red Bull has the edge.

For Rossi, who continues his four-wheeled career in GT3 with Team WRT at the wheel of a BMW M4 GT3 EVO, going up against the four-time Formula 1 world champion is something he never expected: "I have to say, I never would have imagined racing against Max Verstappen".

Rather than seeing it as a duel, the rider from Pesaro views it as a chance to learn by watching: "So it’s fantastic, 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".

For Max Verstappen, this will be his first-ever appearance in the GT World Challenge Europe. The 28-year-old Dutchman will drive a Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, returning to a GT3 car for the first time since the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The commitment comes in an already packed calendar: with the Portuguese event squeezed between two Formula 1 triple-headers, the Red Bull driver will race on seven consecutive weekends. And he arrives in top form, fresh from two dominant wins in the last two rounds of the world championship.

Verstappen also commented in recent days on the prospect of crossing paths with Rossi, with a quip that says a lot about his ambitions: "Yes, I hope to see him. He’s a really cool guy, so I hope I can have a chat with him. I mean, it’s nice, but I don’t hope to see him during the race; usually that’s a good sign".

His reasoning is simple: "Actually, I hope I don’t see anyone and can just be out in front and do a good job. But you never know. The grid is super competitive, so I’m looking forward to the challenge".

The Dutchman is heading to Portimão in a spirit of enjoyment: "It’s very different from Formula 1, but I love it. I already got my first taste of it this year at the Nordschleife, and Portimão is a very nice track to drive. So I’ll enjoy it and, of course, as a team we’ll try to do the best we can to get a good result". From Friday, the track will deliver its verdict.

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