Max Verstappen debuted in GT3 machinery at the latest round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken Series on Saturday, and ended up winning the race alongside Verstappen.com driver Chris Lulham.
The appearance in the NLS category comes after Verstappen secured a permit to race GT3 cars on the iconic Nordschleife circuit. The Dutchman is a keen admirer of touring car racing and frequently takes part in the closed-wheel category through online sim-racing.
Helmut Marko confirmed that Verstappen will be entering the prestigious Nurburgring 24 Hours race, which is typically held annually in June. If he is successful in his entry, he will join Niki Lauda as the only Formula 1 champions to also win on the notorious ‘Green Hell’.
The four-time world champion’s bid to take part in the endurance race began when Verstappen took part in a secret test with a Ferrari 296 GT3 car, supplied by Emil Frey Racing, in May. He subsequently smashed the lap record, despite taking part in just a handful of laps.
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Bruce Jones highlighted how ‘unusual’ Max Verstappen’s 20-second lead at the Nurburgring was
The #31 entry began with Verstappen taking the wheel of the Ferrari 296 GT3 for the first two stints of the race. After qualifying in third place, the Dutchman wasted no time in stamping his authority as he took the lead at the very first corner of the race.
He demonstrated his brilliant skills behind the wheel of anything that has four wheels during the race, with commentator Bruce Jones highlighting the “unusual” nature of his drive to viewers following the completion of his first hour-long stint.
“At this point in the race, we now have a 20-second margin,” Jones declared. “This is really unusual in this series. That’s how far clear Max Verstappen is in his Emil Frey Racing Ferrari.”
The Red Bull driver went on to race for another hour before relinquishing duties to Chris Lulham, gifting the young British driver a lead of over a minute on his rivals behind.
Lulham went on to take the chequered flag in first position, 20 seconds ahead of the second-place finishers, handing Verstappen his overall win on the famous circuit.
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Max Verstappen could emulate Jim Clark’s ‘remarkable’ 1965 season through his GT3 exploits
Jim Clark was one of the most enigmatic drivers of the past, winning multiple championships across many different categories in singular seasons before his untimely death during a Formula 2 race in 1968.
During the 1965 season, Clark made headlines as he went on to win the F1 world title, British Formula 2 title and Tasman Series title, as well as winning the Indianapolis 500.
“I was down at Goodwood, at the Revival, and we were celebrating many things, but one of them was Jim Clark’s remarkable 1965 season, just how many races he did around the world,” Jones noted during coverage of the NLS event.
“But the fact is, it wasn’t all Formula 1, and I think it’s brilliant for the top drivers to come back and do other things. It gives other people a yardstick. It’s old school, but I think inside, Max Verstappen is a really old school person; he’s a third-generation racer in his family.
“He’s got racing blood coursing through him, and I think it’s really infectious. If it casts more eyes on this series, fantastic, but it’s all about racing on the Nordschleife, that’s what he wants to do.”
Clark also holds the record for the most Grand Slams (pole position, Grand Prix victory, fastest lap and 100% of laps led) in Formula 1 history, with Verstappen moving himself into joint-second at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with six Grand Slams to his name.