It is well known that Max Verstappen acts as a scout along with his coaching duties at Verstappen Racing, testing every GT3 in the avenue to offer the best knowledge to Chris Lulham, but the recent tests of the Dutch team had more importance this time, as the team needed to decide which machine to use next season, with the final decision being a move to Mercedes-AMG.
Once the GT World Challenge Europe season ended, Verstappen Racing had no deal in place to stay with Emil Frey Racing, and while the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo used in the Endurance Cup gave titles in the Gold Cup, it wasn’t exactly a certain choice for 2026 too.
While the team tested recently with Porsche, the final decision was made in favor of the Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo, which appeared in an open test held at Estoril, and given that Jules Gounon was present with Max Verstappen and Chris Lulham, the deal was already in place. Unlike the split program from 2025, the AMG GT3 Evo will be used for both the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup, with Lulham having Gounon as his partner for the sprint races while Daniel Juncadella joins them in the Endurance Cup.
Juncadella left the Corvette camp in favor of a Hypercar deal with Genesis in the FIA World Endurance Champíonship, but he has years of experience as a Mercedes factory driver, while Jules Gounon needs no presentation too, being also a Hypercar driver this year with Alpine in between his GT commitments with Mercedes. Curiously, Lulham will be surrounded by Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge winners, which might work with Lulham’s growth rate to facilitate the transition to the Pro Cup and effectivelly fight for overall wins.
The trio will start the 2026 season together as the Paul Ricard 1000 will open the Endurance Cup on 12 April.
PHOTO: Verstappen.com
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