Max Verstappen impressively won on his GT3 endurance race debut at the legendary Nordschleife in a Ferrari on Saturday.
Verstappen shared a Ferrari 296 GT3 car with Britain’s Chris Lulham in a four-hour race that was part of the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and the pair dominated against a field that featured more than 100 cars.
The four-time F1 world champion started the race from third but took the lead at the first corners and impressively opened up a lead of more than one minute during his stint in the car.
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Lulham, who competes for Verstappen’s own team in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and is also in the Dutchman’s Team Redline sim racing squad, controlled the lead over the second half of the race to seal the victory.
It has been a remarkable month for Verstappen after winning the Italian Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to ignite a possible title fightback as he trails F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points ahead of next weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
In between the Monza and Baku races, he went to the Nordschleife to earn a licence to race in the GT3 category by driving a Porsche GT4 car.
Two weeks later and he won on his GT3 race debut with Lulham by over 24 seconds at ‘The Green Hell’ in Germany.
Verstappen has eyes set on more endurance races
Before the 1970s, it was normal for Formula 1 drivers to compete in other motorsport categories but the increased professionalism of the sport means it is rare for current drivers to race outside of F1
Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso have won the Le Mans 24 Hours over the last 10 years, with Alonso also twice attempting the Indy 500.
Verstappen has openly stated he has ambitions to also race in Le Mans in the future, but does not want to drive in the Indy 500.
The Dutchman, who celebrates his 28th birthday on Tuesday, could race in the Nurburgring 24 Hours next year which is the most prestigious GT race of the year.
The event takes place during a three-week gap in the F1 schedule between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, on May 14-17.
Verstappen hinted if Red Bull are competitive next year when the new 2026 regulations begin, he will focus on F1, but if the team struggle, he may look at racing in other motorsport events.
“For me, it’s very important to be able to do those things [outside F1],” said Verstappen.
“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.”
The 2025 Formula 1 title fight continues under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix on October 3-5, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
