Max Verstappen claimed a hugely impressive win on his debut in the Nurburgring Langstrecken Series on the Nordschleife on Saturday. He won the race with Chris Lulham by over 20 seconds.
The four-time F1 champion has been looking to make his first appearance in a GT3 car for some time. Verstappen took part in a secret test at the Nurburgring under the pseudonym ‘Franz Hermann’, setting a new lap record.
Verstappen recently secured a permit to drive GT3 cars on the ‘Green Hell’. The Dutchman has expressed his desire to branch out into other motorsport categories, as has been seen through his sim racing exploits.
Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that Verstappen will race in the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, which is typically held in June. On Saturday, he got his first taste of victory around the iconic Nordschleife circuit in the NLS category.
Max Verstappen navigating traffic during Nurburgring GT3 race was ‘almost impossible to explain’
Verstappen did something ‘very unusual’ during the race as he pulled a 20-second lead over the pack; an uncommon gap in the series. The Dutchman took the wheel of the No.31 Ferrari 296 GT3 for the first two stints before Lulham took over and secured the win.
The 27-year-old displayed his incredible skill behind the wheel of the sports car, which left Dutch pundit Jeroen Bleekemolen stunned. Speaking to RacingNews365, he was lost for words talking about Verstappen’s start as he immediately took the lead at the first corner from third.
Bleekemolen found it ‘almost impossible to explain’ how the Red Bull driver navigated his way through traffic on the twisty and unforgiving Nordschleife complex: “Just that start alone… I knew beforehand that he’d be gone if he got off to a good start and was first onto the Nordschleife.
“And that’s exactly what he did. He also gained time in every sector. I didn’t see a single sector where he lost a single second. In that traffic, that’s truly amazing; it’s almost impossible to explain.”
He then added: “If he races the 24 Hours, that’ll be great. If he has a good lineup, do the math… He was a minute ahead after two hours of racing. Calculate that, and you’re a lap and a half ahead in a 24-hour race. That’s how good he was! I enjoyed it; it was a top race.”
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One Formula 1 team would never let their drivers race a GT3 car like Max Verstappen
Verstappen ‘impressed’ his Nurburgring instructor during his debut outing in racing conditions. He has left countless people mesmerised by his performances on the circuit, especially seeing as he has not driven the track besides the sim before his private test.
Father Jos Verstappen said Max was ‘not normal’ during that test as he watched how fast he was on his onboards. Red Bull seem keen to let their star driver take part in other categories outside of F1, but their rivals may not want to take that risk.
Karun Chandhok says McLaren would never let Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri race GT3 as they would not want to ‘risk’ anything. The pair are fighting for the 2025 championship, with Verstappen potentially back in the running after winning in Monza and Baku.
Following Verstappen’s win in NLS, all eyes will now be on the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring to see if he can replicate his success. If his entry is approved, he could join Niki Lauda as an F1 champion to win on the iconic circuit.