• Record numbers watch thrilling season-ending race on GT World YouTube channel
• On-site attendance of 28,000 confirms hugely successful finale
• Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed claims overall win to close fantastic 2026
GT World ended its 2026 season on a spectacular high at Portimão, attracting a record 9.7 million views of the finale’s live coverage on YouTube. Coupled with a superb on-site attendance of 28,000, this was the perfect conclusion to a phenomenal year of growth.
It was always clear that Portimão would be special. The entry list hinted at an incredible level of competition, with 61 cars representing the biggest-ever grid outside the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The track is spectacular, boasting dramatic elevation changes and epic scenery. And, with four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen among the challengers, there were more eyes than ever before on GT World.
Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed claimed the final overall victory of the year with its crew of Maximilian Götz, Ralf Aron and Fabian Schiller, while Porsche filled the second and third steps of the podium thanks to Lionspeed GP and Boutsen VDS. There were also class wins for Selected Car Racing (Ferrari), Team WRT (BMW), and 2 Seas Motorsport (Mercedes-AMG).
The concluding hour of Saturday evening's race was particularly action-packed – and no one delivered more overtakes than Verstappen. The Dutch megastar made his series debut with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and demonstrated the incredible natural talent that has made one of the sport’s all-time greats, carving through the order from 24th to finish ninth.
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A podium or perhaps even a win had looked possible earlier in the race, yet it was clear that Verstappen thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of GT World competition. His reaction after he had climbed from the car suggested that it will not be his last time in this paddock.
As a one-off event, Portimão drew a tremendous number of spectators eager sample GT World. Saturday afternoon's pit walk was remarkably full, with fans packed around the garages to meet the drivers and get their autographs. The grid for Saturday's race was busier than ever and included Anthony Hamilton – who was present as a guest of Stéphane Ratel – among the familiar faces.
The open paddock was also alive with activity. Adamastor Automotive showed off its Furia supercar, the first machine of its kind to be designed and manufactured in Portugal. The brand was established in 2010 and has set its sights on entering top level motor racing in the coming years. For contemporary machinery, fans could get a close-up look at the new KTM X-BOW GT2 EVO, which will be competing on-track in 2027.
Spectators were also treated to a full line-up of support series action from McLaren Trophy Europe, the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli and the GT4 European Series. All three decided their champions with a pair of races in Portugal, including a breathtaking GT4 Europe title decider that went down to the final laps of the season.
For those not among the 28,000 at the track, the GT World YouTube channel was the place to enjoy all of the live action and the best highlights. Portimão set new records in this regard. It began before the on-track action had started, with the channels’ subscriber number passing the one million mark, a major increase from 822,000 at the start of the year.
This set the scene for a quite incredible weekend. Across all of the live GT World Challenge sessions that were broadcast, Portimão attracted 9.7 million views – by far the most for any event in the series’ history. The coverage more than lived up to this record number: available in seven languages and free to watch around the world, it demonstrated extremely high production values before, during and after the race.
This was emblematic of the growth that GT World has enjoyed this season. Spectator numbers have continued to rise, grids are at record levels, and the audience watching online is bigger than ever before. Portimão was the perfect way to bring the year to a close. It was a season that showed nothing is impossible.