Historically, Formula One drivers used to spend their downtime competing across multiple disciplines of motorsport, and every now and then, a modern champion reminds us just how exciting that crossover can be. Enter Max Verstappen, who, between the 2025 Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, decided a trip to the legendary Nordschleife was in order. The result? A victory, of course.
On 27 September 2025, the four-time F1 World Champion swapped his Red Bull RB20 for a Ferrari 296 GT3 and promptly won on his debut in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS). Sharing the car with Chris Lulham, a fellow member of his Team Redline sim racing squad and regular competitor in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup for Verstappen.com Racing, the pair took on the four-hour event and emerged as winners against a staggering field of 110 entries, 10 of which were in the top SP9 category.
A flying start in ‘The Green Hell’
Verstappen qualified the Emil Frey Racing-run Ferrari third, but when the race got underway on the daunting 25.3 km Nordschleife, he wasted no time. By the first corners, he had taken the lead, and over the course of his stints, he pulled out a gap of more than a minute.
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“It was great!” Verstappen beamed after climbing out of the cockpit. “During my first two stints, the car was amazing. After Qualifying, I knew the car would be good on a dry track. Everything went well in terms of traffic, and we didn’t make any big mistakes. To win my debut race here is amazing.”
Lulham then took over to manage the gap in the second half of the race, calmly steering the Red Bull-liveried Ferrari home more than 24 seconds clear of the competition. For a debut endurance outing at the Nordschleife, it was a statement drive.
From Monza to ‘The Green Hell’
This win comes during a remarkable run of form for Verstappen, who recently claimed back-to-back Formula One victories in Baku and Monza. In between those Grands Prix, he had already been to the Nürburgring to earn his GT3 licence by driving a Porsche GT4. Just two weeks later, he was winning in one of the world’s most challenging GT cars at one of the world’s toughest racetracks.
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“The first two stints went really well, the car worked perfectly in the dry,” Verstappen added. “We had a bit of bad luck in qualifying, but in the race everything with the traffic worked out fine. I think I didn’t make any major mistakes in those two stints. And to win here on my very first attempt, that’s just fantastic.”
Endurance ambitions
Verstappen’s foray into GT3 racing is not just a one-off. Like many great drivers before him, he has his eye on endurance racing’s crown jewels.
“Of course, we really want to race the 24-hour race, here at the Nordschleife. If that’s going to be next year, I don’t know yet. We need more experience, so hopefully we can enter a few more NLS races next year,” he said.
He has also been clear that Le Mans is on his bucket list, though unlike Fernando Alonso, he has no desire to try the Indy 500. The Nürburgring 24 Hours, scheduled for 14 May until the 17 May in the 2026 F1 season, in a gap between Miami and Canada on the F1 calendar, looks like a realistic target.
“Of course, I would really like to compete in the 24 Hours at some point,” Verstappen said. “If it happens next year, I’ll say so – but we still need more experience. That’s the way it is, so hopefully we’ll do more races here next year.”
Balancing acts
It serves as a reminder of how different F1 history used to be. In decades past, it was common for F1 drivers to juggle other categories. Today, that level of crossover is rare, though Nico Hülkenberg and Alonso have both stood atop the podium at Le Mans in the last decade.
Verstappen, however, is keen to keep that spirit alive. He knows how busy the new F1 regulations in 2026 will make life, but he also makes clear that his passion extends beyond Grand Prix racing.
“For me, it’s very important to be able to do those things [outside F1],” Verstappen has explained. “Of course, how much I can do during an F1 season is a bit tricky. Also, next year, new regulations, it’s already hard enough in Formula 1, but yeah, we’ll just see how everything goes. It depends on how next season goes with the new rules. It’s impossible to say now if I can compete in other things outside of that.”
For now, Verstappen will turn his attention back to the Red Bull garage as the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix approaches. Still, his victory at the Nordschleife was a reminder that the Dutchman is far more than just an F1 superstar. He is a racer in the truest sense, whether it’s under the lights of Marina Bay or through the forests of the Eifel Mountains.
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