{
  "id": 14686188,
  "title": "Max Verstappen’s Portimao team-mates: who are Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/max-verstappens-portimao-team-mates-who-are-chris-lulham-and-ben",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T11:50:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motorsport.com",
    "slug": "motorsport-com",
    "url": "https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappens-portimao-team-mates-who-are-chris-lulham-and-ben-barnicoat/10865368/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat are the team-mates of Max Verstappen in the upcoming Portimao race. Lulham has been a regular in Verstappen Racing cars in 2026, coming from the sim racing world and working closely with the four-time champion. He has a strong history and great chemistry with Verstappen. Barnicoat, on the other hand, is an English driver from Chesterfield and a Lexus factory driver. He raced the #14 Lexus RC F GT3 for Vasser Sullivan in IMSA competition, winning the Asian Le Mans Series GT title in 2022 and the IMSA GTD Pro title in 2023 and 2024, partnering with Jack Hawksworth. His GT driving experience includes two GT World Challenge Europe pole positions in 2021. Both Lulham and Barnicoat will be driving the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO alongside Verstappen in the Portimao race.",
  "summary": "Max Verstappen is embedding himself in his GT3 side hustle this weekend. He's not a regular in the Verstappen Racing team, but he'll be taking over this weekend as a rather well-experienced reserve. He will be driving the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO alongside Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat. But who are these two talented gentlemen? And should the 61-car field be worried? Chris Lulham Is a ... Keep…",
  "key_points": [
    "Chris Lulham, a sim racing veteran, joins Verstappen in Portimao.",
    "Ben Barnicoat, Lexus factory driver, won Asian Le Mans Series GT title in 2022.",
    "Both Lulham and Barnicoat will drive No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in race."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}