Verstappen GT3 News: Reprimand in Practice and Poor Qualifying on Day 1

Max Verstappen's GT World Challenge Europe debut was….disappointing.

A reprimand in practice and a challenging performance in qualifying will have his team, Verstappen Racing, start the three-hour endurance race from 15th on the grid. There's a whole lot of work ahead of them if they want to fight for the victory, or at least get close to it.

What happened to the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 on Day 1 of the endurance challenge?

Verstappen, a four-time World Champion in Formula 1, had an eventful but untidy start at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. It was pure Verstappen energy as we know it. Only three minutes into FP1, Verstappen was on a flying lap when he clipped #25 Sainteloc Racing Audi's Ezequiel Perez Companc. 

As a result, Companc's car spun at Turn 3, and apparently, Verstappen was heated at the moment. The Dutchman gestured in frustration as he drove past. There were concerns that Verstappen might incur a penalty that would set him back in the race, but fortunately for him, he escaped a hefty punishment.

The stewards placed the blame on Verstappen, but only handed him an official reprimand and one Behavior Warning Point. They heard the sides of both drivers and reviewed the tape. Verstappen reportedly planned to overtake Companc, who he thought was going to "stay towards the outside of the corner." But the Red Bull F1 driver misjudged the situation and made contact when Companc turned in. 

Verstappen, along with teammates Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat, finished FP1 with only the 20th fastest time. The team did bounce back with a better showing in Free Practice 2, where they finished just 0.241 seconds behind the fastest car (Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed) and settled with P4. 

And yet, the team's qualifying act was something else.

Qualifying in the GT World Challenge will see all teams participating in the three sessions, with each driver doing one segment. Then, they will get the average of the drivers' best times, which would dictate where they will start in the race. 

Verstappen took the wheel in Q3 and delivered the strongest individual performance among the three. However, Barnicoat struggled in Q1, and while Lulham made progress in Q2, there was just not enough pace in the #3 car.

In the end, their combined result left them 0.553 seconds off pole, and they will start the race from P15.

It will be very, very difficult. 

First of all, the pace isn't there. Barnicoat hinted at the car's faulty setup, which he thought was "too low," resulting in "bad bouncing in straight lines and understeer in the hairpin turns."  

Then, there's the fact that it's a packed 61-car field, making it more difficult for Verstappen's team to storm through the field. 

Verstappen, Barnicoat, and Lulham can still finish in the Top 10, but a race victory? That might be insurmountable now.