Verstappen's team joins forces with Mercedes, Gounon is part of the team

Verstappen Racing will continue its commitment to the GT World Challenge Europe in 2026 with a new program to further develop the team. Starting next year, it is indeed with Classic Mercedes for sale that the Dutch driver's team will be racing.

« We are delighted that Verstappen Racing has chosen to enter a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT World Challenge Europe. says Stefan Wendl, head of customer racing at Mercedes-AMG. With 2 Seas Motorsport, this project benefits from the support of a highly experienced team that has already achieved numerous successes and championship titles with our car. We are therefore very pleased with this extremely ambitious and promising project, as well as the presence of a new top-level team in the Sprint and Endurance of the GT World Challenge Europe. »

Verstappen with Mercedes, a taste of a future F1 transfer?

The four-time world champion F1 will not be present (even though he has been testing the car in recent days), but that won't stop his team from fielding a top-flight driver lineup. Chris Lulham will be partnered with Genesis driver Dani Juncadella for the Sprint Cup rounds, while Jules Gounon, a regular driver with Alpine in the Hypercar category of WECwill join them for the Endurance Cup.

« After years of collaboration with Mercedes-AMG, it is a real pleasure to continue this momentum with Verstappen Racing, Chris and Dani. the Frenchman rejoices. This is a fantastic project that has all the ingredients for success. I look forward to working with them. »

The announcement of this collaboration at the end of 2025 is ironic when you recall the rumors linking Max Verstappen to Mercedes-Benz in the middle of the last F1 season. The Dutchman even recently confided that discussions about his future weren't limited to his current racing series. Should we see this rapprochement between the team and the Mercedes driver as a sign of his potential move to Mercedes-Benz? Red Bull And does the German manufacturer signal a future collaboration in the top category of motorsport?

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