Five players meet Gran Turismo star José Cautela

At the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, football met motorsport for a memorable experience this past week. José Cautela, a driver who competes for Sporting Clube de Portugal at the wheel of a McLaren in Gran Turismo races, welcomed five players from the first team for an afternoon of on-track action.

Jeremiah St. Juste, Conrad Harder, Morten Hjulmand, Zeno Debast and Francisco Trincão accompanied Cautela on two laps each of the circuit.

"It was spectacular, really cool. It was my first time in a race car. When you're in the car it feels like you're going a little slower than when you see it go by," St. Juste explained after the experience as co-driver.

"On the corners I asked him when he was going to brake, and he said 'only at the last moment (laughs).' José asked me to keep my body tense and stiffen my neck."

Debast added that "José was very fast and I can't even imagine what it would be like with 20 more cars on the track. It must be incredible! When we see the car passing in front of us it's crazy, it's different from when we watch a Grand Prix on television."

The defender explained the importance of enjoying moments of relaxation with teammates as a break from their training routine.

"It's good for us to learn about other sports, try different things, and support each other within the club. It's also great for our mental health to have this kind of experience. It was wonderful, and I'm grateful for the opportunity," he said.

Cautela was very pleased with the spirit of the players and the intersection between two worlds he is passionate about.

"It's a dream come true. If, when I was a kid, someone had told me that I would be driving with the best Sporting CP players at Portimão, I wouldn't have believed it," shared the staunch Sportinguista, who will return to competition in November at Estoril.

"It was really cool and it's also great to see this association between sports. This is a new sport at the club, and it's good to be associated with football, which is obviously the biggest sport, although we are a huge sporting powerhouse, the biggest in Portugal and one of the biggest in the world," stated the driver.

"I think it was the most fun I've ever had in the car. It was a mix of emotions, but I think they all loved it. I spent the whole time talking about racing with Trincão. When I was braking, he was a bit quiet, and so was I, but then on the straights, he asked me how my career began. I loved being with them and the entire Sporting CP group. I asked them to come see me race in Estoril on the last weekend of November."

"I hope this motivates them," said Cautela. "We're all behind them. I asked them all for the third league title when we were arriving at the pit. They were fantastic, and I'm looking forward to next season. I had a great time last season, and I hope this year will be a happy one too."