Max Verstappen has added another chapter to his racing story with a spectacular debut in GT3 competition on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Driving the Ferrari 296 GT3 for Emil Frey Racing in the ninth round of the 2025 Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), the four-time Formula 1 World Champion showed that his speed and racecraft extend well beyond the Grand Prix stage. Verstappen seized the lead at the start, dominated the pace, and together with teammate Chris Lulham secured a commanding victory on the world’s toughest circuit.
Yet, for all his dominance, one milestone narrowly escaped him: the official NLS lap record. Despite multiple attempts, Verstappen’s best time of 7:51.514 was just shy of Christian Krognes’ 7:49.578 benchmark. Even so, the performance left Nordschleife veterans impressed and hinted at Verstappen’s growing appetite for endurance racing—and perhaps a future take on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
Debut win at the Nordschleife: Verstappen masters GT3 Ferrari and traffic
Verstappen praised the Ferrari’s performance from the start. He said the car felt quick already in qualifying and carried that pace into the race. In the opening stints he pushed hard, kept the rhythm, and avoided mistakes. Traffic on the Nordschleife proved tricky, but he managed it with control. “Everything actually worked,” he explained. Verstappen built confidence lap after lap, showing he could match the GT3 specialists on the Nordschleife.
He admitted he missed the drama at the start when Tim Heinemann nearly caused chaos. “At the beginning I didn’t see anything. Only after my stint, I turned it on,” he said. For Verstappen, the focus stayed on execution, and the reward was a debut victory at the Green Hell.
“Yes, it was great. The first two stints, the car worked great again in the dry. I already knew that in the Qualifying, and also we had a little bit of bad luck, of course. But then in the race, yes, with the traffic, everything actually worked. Yes, the two stints, I don’t think there were any big mistakes. So yes, of course, to win here for the first time, is great.”
“At the beginning I didn’t see anything. Only after my stint, I turned it on. That can happen.”
Verstappen eyes Nürburgring 24 Hours after GT3 debut success at the Nordschleife
After his debut win, Verstappen already looked to the next challenge. His goal was clear: the Nürburgring 24 Hours. “We would very much like to drive the 24-hour race,” he said. The Dutchman admitted, however, that such a leap would demand more time and preparation. A single NLS outing was not enough to master the Nordschleife, even for a four-time Formula 1 World Champion.
Verstappen stressed the importance of building experience step by step. More NLS races would be the foundation before tackling the ultimate endurance test. “Hopefully we will drive more NLS races next year,” he explained. For him, the Green Hell was not just a one-off adventure but a new challenge to conquer
“In the end, of course, we would very much like to drive the 24-hour race. If that happens next year, hard to say, but we still need more experience. Hopefully we will drive more NLS races next year.”
