Chris Lulham: Age, Racing Career and Sim-to-GT3 Rise
How the talented British driver turned virtual racing success into championship-winning performances on real circuits
Introduction
Chris Lulham is a British racing driver and professional sim racer. He is best known for moving from Team Redline’s virtual racing programme into international GT competition with support from Max Verstappen.
Born on 31 March 2003, Lulham is 23 years old as of July 2026. He started karting at seven, entered sim racing at 16 and later proved that his digital driving skills could work in real racing cars. His victories now include the 2024 Radical Cup UK title, three GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup championships in 2025 and the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series GT title.
As of July 2026, Chris Lulham competes for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint and Endurance Cups. He drives the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO and has already achieved an overall podium with the team.
Chris Lulham Quick Facts
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Chris Lulham |
| Date of birth | 31 March 2003 |
| Age | 23 years old as of July 2026 |
| Nationality | British |
| Hometown | Coldharbour, United Kingdom |
| Profession | Racing driver and professional sim racer |
| Height | 182 centimetres |
| Weight | 72 kilograms |
| Personal race number | 33 |
| Current GT car number | 3 |
| Current team | Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing |
| Current car | Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO |
| Major 2024 title | Radical Cup UK champion |
| Major 2025 titles | GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup Sprint, Endurance and full-season champion |
| Major 2025–26 title | Asian Le Mans Series GT champion |
His birth date, height, weight, UK residence and personal race number are listed on his official Verstappen.com Racing profile. His current team, championship, car and results are confirmed through his official GT World Challenge Europe profile.
Who Is Chris Lulham?
Chris Lulham is a young British driver whose career connects two different parts of modern motorsport: competitive gaming and physical racing.
He first developed his skills in karting. However, limited opportunities prevented him from following a simple and continuous path through junior single-seater categories. Sim racing gave him another way to compete, practise and show his speed.
Lulham became an important member of Team Redline, one of the leading professional sim-racing organisations. He raced with recognised drivers, won major virtual endurance events and built a working relationship with Max Verstappen.
That connection later helped him return to physical racing. He did not receive his opportunity only because he was successful online. He also had to prove during real-world testing that he could understand a GT car, communicate with engineers and produce competitive lap times.
Chris Lulham’s Age and Birthday
Chris Lulham was born on 31 March 2003.
He is 23 years old as of July 2026 and will celebrate his 24th birthday on 31 March 2027. His zodiac sign is Aries.
His official racing profiles describe him as British and list his residence as the United Kingdom. A separate Team Redline profile identifies Coldharbour as his hometown.
Early Karting Career
Lulham began karting when he was about seven years old. Karting introduced him to racing lines, braking, overtaking and close competition long before he drove a full-sized racing car.
He became one of Britain’s strongest junior karting competitors. A major early result arrived at the 2017 CIK-FIA World Junior Championship at PF International in England.
Lulham challenged for the title and finished second behind Dexter Patterson. The FIA race report described how Patterson controlled Lulham’s late challenge to secure the championship. Lulham therefore ended the competition as the junior world vice-champion.
His karting background gave him a strong foundation. It taught him how to race in crowded fields and react quickly when conditions changed.
Other young drivers have also used karting as the first step towards professional competition. The story of Fionn McLaughlin’s journey from karting to FIA Formula 3 shows another example of how early karting experience can support a driver’s development.
Moving Into Racing Cars
Lulham entered British Formula 4 competition in 2019 with Fortec Motorsport.
The appearance offered him an early chance to drive a modern single-seater. However, it did not immediately produce a full-time professional programme.
Young drivers often need large budgets to continue through Formula 4, Formula 3 and Formula 2. Talent is important, but funding, sponsorship and available team seats can also decide whether a career continues.
Lulham’s path changed direction. Instead of disappearing from competition, he began concentrating more seriously on sim racing.
How Chris Lulham Became a Sim Racer
Lulham started sim racing at approximately 16 years old.
A racing simulator allows drivers to compete through specialised computer software, steering wheels, pedals and detailed virtual cars. Professional simulators can recreate tyre behaviour, fuel use, braking and track conditions with impressive detail.
Sim racing does not fully reproduce the physical forces or danger of driving a real car. However, it can develop concentration, consistency, race strategy and understanding of different circuits.
Lulham became fast enough to join Team Redline. His rise followed a similar digital-to-physical pattern to Brendon Leigh’s F1 Esports and Formula Ford journey, although the two drivers followed different competitions and career routes.
Team Redline Success
Team Redline gave Lulham the chance to race with some of the strongest sim racers in the world.
His teammates and collaborators included Max Verstappen, who was already combining his Formula One career with serious online endurance racing.
In 2023, Lulham achieved one of his biggest virtual victories by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual. He shared Team Redline’s number 2 Oreca 07 with Felipe Drugovich, Felix Rosenqvist and Luke Bennett.
The four drivers completed 356 laps and won the overall LMP category after 24 hours of competition. The result showed that Lulham could combine speed with the patience and teamwork required in endurance racing.
Return to Real-World Racing
Lulham returned to a full physical racing programme in 2024 with Valour Racing in the Hagerty Radical Cup UK.
He drove in the PRO SR3 category and immediately became the season’s dominant competitor.
Lulham won the overall championship and the PRO SR3 title. He completed the year with 16 victories from 18 races, including a clean sweep during the final Brands Hatch meeting.
Winning 16 of 18 races gave him a victory rate of almost 89 per cent. This was important because it proved that his sim-racing success could transfer into a real car under physical pressure.
Why Max Verstappen Supported Chris Lulham
Max Verstappen knew Lulham through Team Redline and had seen his speed in virtual endurance events.
Lulham was later given an opportunity to test a real GT3 car. He adapted quickly enough to convince Verstappen and the people around his racing programme that he could compete professionally.
The opportunity became part of a wider plan to connect Verstappen’s sim-racing programme with real motorsport. Lulham became one of the clearest examples of that idea working successfully.
Readers interested in the wider Red Bull environment can explore Christian Horner’s Formula One leadership career and Laurent Mekies’ rise into senior Red Bull management.
However, Lulham’s programme was separate from the Red Bull Formula One team. Verstappen.com Racing supported drivers and teams across GT racing, esports and other motorsport categories.
GT World Challenge Europe Breakthrough
Lulham entered the GT World Challenge Europe championship in 2025.
In the Sprint Cup, he partnered Thierry Vermeulen in an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. In the Endurance Cup, Lulham, Vermeulen and Harry King drove an Aston Martin for Verstappen.com Racing.
Changing between different teams and cars created an extra challenge. A Ferrari and an Aston Martin do not behave in exactly the same way. Each car has different braking, balance and tyre characteristics.
Lulham adapted well enough to win three important Gold Cup titles:
- The 2025 Gold Cup Sprint drivers’ championship
- The 2025 Gold Cup Endurance drivers’ championship
- The 2025 full-season Gold Cup drivers’ championship
Vermeulen and Lulham won the Sprint title with Emil Frey Racing. They secured the Endurance title with Harry King and also collected the combined full-season championship.
Their Aston Martin also won the Gold Cup category at the 2025 24 Hours of Spa. The car finished ninth overall against a strong international GT3 field.
Historic Nürburgring Victory With Max Verstappen
One of Lulham’s most widely reported victories came on 27 September 2025.
He shared an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 with Max Verstappen during the ninth round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie.
Verstappen started the race and moved into the lead at the first corner. He built a large advantage during his opening stints before handing the car to Lulham.
Lulham completed the final two stints in heavy traffic and protected the lead. The pair won the four-hour race by 24.496 seconds.
The victory was especially important because it was Verstappen’s first physical GT3 race. It was also his first real-world victory outside Formula One since entering the championship. Lulham’s calm final performance helped turn the high-profile debut into a winning result.
Asian Le Mans Series Championship
Lulham continued his progress during the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series.
He joined Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall in the number 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.
The team won races at Sepang and Dubai and added another podium in Abu Dhabi. Those results secured the Asian Le Mans Series GT championship.
Winning the title showed that Lulham could perform across different teams, continents, circuits and endurance formats.
Chris Lulham’s 2026 Team and Car
As of July 2026, Lulham races for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.
He competes in both parts of GT World Challenge Europe:
- The Sprint Cup
- The Endurance Cup
Lulham drives the number 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Daniel Juncadella is listed as his Sprint teammate, while Juncadella and Jules Gounon share the Endurance programme.
His opening 2026 results included ninth at Circuit Paul Ricard and second in the second Brands Hatch Sprint race. The Brands Hatch result gave him an overall GT World Challenge Europe podium with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.
Success in GT racing requires more than driver speed. Engineers must study data, improve the car and help each driver understand its behaviour. The long career of Alan Permane in Formula One engineering and team leadership provides a useful explanation of how technical staff support racing performance.
Chris Lulham’s Height and Weight
Lulham’s official profile lists his height as 182 centimetres, or approximately 5 feet 11.7 inches.
His listed weight is 72 kilograms, which is approximately 159 pounds.
Fitness is important in GT racing because drivers must control powerful cars for long periods. Endurance events can include heat, heavy braking forces, limited rest and repeated driver changes.
What Makes Chris Lulham a Strong Driver?
Lulham’s results suggest several important strengths.
Adaptability
He has competed successfully in karts, Formula 4 cars, Radical sports cars, virtual prototypes and different GT3 models.
Consistency
Endurance racing requires drivers to produce reliable lap times without damaging the car. His success at Le Mans Virtual, Spa, the Nürburgring and in the Asian Le Mans Series shows this ability.
Technical understanding
Sim racers spend large amounts of time studying car setups, tyre behaviour and data. That experience appears to have helped Lulham communicate effectively during real-world testing and racing.
Calmness under pressure
His final stints during the NLS9 victory placed him in a difficult position. He had to protect a valuable lead while managing traffic on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Teamwork
Lulham has won with many different teammates and organisations. Endurance racing depends on drivers sharing information and accepting setups that work for the whole team.
Major Career Achievements
Chris Lulham’s most important confirmed achievements include:
- Finishing second in the 2017 CIK-FIA World Junior Karting Championship
- Winning the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual with Team Redline
- Winning the 2024 Radical Cup UK overall and PRO SR3 championships
- Recording 16 victories from 18 Radical Cup races
- Winning the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup Sprint title
- Winning the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup Endurance title
- Winning the 2025 full-season Gold Cup title
- Winning the Gold Cup category at the 2025 24 Hours of Spa
- Winning the 2025 NLS9 race with Max Verstappen
- Winning the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series GT championship
- Finishing second overall at the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Brands Hatch Sprint race
These achievements cover karting, sim racing, sports cars and international GT competition.
Why Chris Lulham’s Story Is Important
Lulham’s journey challenges the idea that sim racing and physical racing are completely separate worlds.
A simulator cannot replace every part of real driving. It does not fully recreate physical danger, heat, vibration or the forces placed on a driver’s body.
However, Lulham’s results show that virtual racing can develop useful skills. It can teach tracks, improve concentration and give talented drivers a place to compete when a traditional racing programme is unavailable.
His career also shows that sim racers still need real-world testing and results. Lulham earned wider respect because he followed his digital achievements with 16 Radical Cup victories, GT championships and major endurance-racing success.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chris Lulham?
Chris Lulham is a British racing driver and professional sim racer. He competes for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and is known for moving from Team Redline into international GT competition.
How old is Chris Lulham?
He is 23 years old as of July 2026.
When was Chris Lulham born?
He was born on 31 March 2003.
Where is Chris Lulham from?
His Team Redline profile lists Coldharbour in the United Kingdom as his hometown.
Is Chris Lulham a real racing driver?
Yes. He has won championships in Radical sports cars, GT World Challenge Europe and the Asian Le Mans Series.
Is Chris Lulham also a sim racer?
Yes. He became a leading Team Redline competitor and won the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual.
How does Chris Lulham know Max Verstappen?
They raced together through Team Redline’s sim-racing activities. Verstappen later supported Lulham’s move into professional GT competition.
Did Chris Lulham race with Max Verstappen?
Yes. They won the NLS9 race at the Nürburgring on 27 September 2025 in an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.
Which team does Chris Lulham race for in 2026?
He races for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in GT World Challenge Europe.
What car does Chris Lulham drive?
He drives the number 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO during his 2026 GT World Challenge Europe programme.
What championships has Chris Lulham won?
His major titles include the 2024 Radical Cup UK championship, three 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup titles and the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series GT championship.
What is Chris Lulham’s height?
His listed height is 182 centimetres, or approximately 5 feet 11.7 inches.
Conclusion
Chris Lulham has built one of modern motorsport’s strongest sim-to-real racing stories.
He began in karting, became a world-class sim racer and used that experience to earn another opportunity in physical competition. His dominant 2024 Radical Cup season proved that he could perform in a real car.
The following year brought three GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup championships, a class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa and an historic Nürburgring win with Max Verstappen. He then added the Asian Le Mans Series GT title.
As of July 2026, Lulham is competing at a higher level with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. His results show that virtual racing can become a serious development path when digital talent is supported by testing, professional coaching and strong real-world performances.
