{
  "id": 14950154,
  "title": "“Wow, okay” – How Max Verstappen’s team-mate Ben Barnicoat reacted to his early GTWC driving",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/wow-okay-how-max-verstappens-team-mate-ben-barnicoat-reacted-to-his",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T12:17:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motorsport.com",
    "slug": "motorsport-com",
    "url": "https://www.motorsport.com/gtwce-endurance/news/wow-okay-how-max-verstappens-team-mate-ben-barnicoat-reacted-to-his-early-gtwc-driving/10865628/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ben Barnicoat, Max Verstappen's teammate in the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWC) finale, expressed his admiration for his team-mate's performance at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Despite Verstappen not having driven the Mercedes-AMG GT3 since the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours, he showed impressive pace during the opening test sessions. Barnicoat remarked, \"Honestly, it's just like being a normal GT team-mate. He's so down to earth, so onboard, but extremely talented.\" He also praised Chris Lulham, another team-mate, noting that he's had an amazing season and is performing well. Barnicoat admitted that he needs to step up his own performance to match Verstappen and Lulham. The driver mentioned that they completed an extended 48-minute run during the Free Practice 1 to evaluate tire degradation and balance stability. Despite concerns about the car being a bit difficult to drive, Barnicoat was confident that they were well-prepared for the upcoming race, especially for the night conditions.",
  "summary": "Ben Barnicoat admits he will need to step up his own performance level to match team-mates Max Verstappen and Chris Lulham during this weekend's GT World Challenge Europe season finale in Portimao. The Lexus IMSA factory driver was called up to join the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 line-up at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, reuniting with Verstappen for the first time since ...…",
  "key_points": [
    "Ben Barnicoat praised Max Verstappen's talent and down-to-earth nature.",
    "Barnicoat praised Chris Lulham's amazing season performance.",
    "Team completed 48-minute run to evaluate tire degradation and balance stability."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "Max Verstappen risks penalty after FP1 clash at Portimao GTWC finale",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/max-verstappen-risks-penalty-after-fp1-clash-at-portimao-gtwc-finale",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:57:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}