Max Verstappen reflects on his GT3 outing and victory in Nordschleife, as fellow F1 drivers share their thoughts on his run.
Fresh from his GT3 victory in NLS at Nordschleife, Red Bull’s Verstappen share his thoughts on the outing alongside Chris Lulham in a Ferrari for Emil Frey Racing. The German noted about his run in the wet and dry, plus reaction of the fans and also fellow GT drivers on the podium.
For now, Verstappen is not thinking about another GT outing this year after consecutive racing in the last few weekends, which includes F1. Even for 2026, he hasn’t got any plans set yet. He wants to see how Red Bull’s journey will shape up under the new regulations before taking any step.
He also wanted to set-up his GT3 team by doing these runs and get the base ready for his fellow teammates. Fellow F1 drivers weighed in their thoughts on Verstappen’s run and if they would like to try their hand in such competitions.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” said Verstappen to media. “I’ve been preparing for that, of course, for a while. Yeah, it was just two very nice days. Again, racing a bit in the wet and the dry. Just getting more and more experience was nice. And then, of course, to win it, yeah, that’s an extra bonus. But does it make me a better driver? I mean, I’ve been doing this already for so many years on the simulator.
So for me, doing it now in real life is not very different. But it definitely doesn’t hurt, I think I can say that. It depends just a lot on what happens in F1 and what manufacturer that we are racing within the GT3 team as well. And yeah, I mean, the races out there, yeah, being on the podium, I mean, for me, before I got to Formula 1, it’s the same thing, right? All the drivers were super nice.
“I also don’t feel or don’t act like a different person with them. So we had good fun out there. There were, of course, a lot of fans under the podium, but of course, in general, around the garage, on the track, before the race. But that’s nice to see that the passion is there. And I think in general, the German fans, racing fans, they’re always there for these kind of endurance races.
“And I’ve seen that before. And I’m just very happy that, yeah, they came out to support. And I think it can only get bigger from here. Yeah, I’m taking a bit of a break. After this weekend, I’ve done six weekends in a row, so it’s quite a bit,” summed up Verstappen, who further elaborated on his chances in GT racing in the future, while handling his F1 case.
“It depends on a lot of things, to be honest,” continued Verstappen. “It depends on F1, first of all. I’m suspecting, of course, that with the rules next year, it’s going to be very complicated to start with and some unknowns anyway, right? So it probably will be a little bit more hectic than the end of a regulation, where things are a bit more straightforward.
“Plus also the programme of the GT3 team, which car that we are going to race next year, stuff like that. So a lot of things that still have to come together before I can really plan it well in advance for just my drivers already in the team plus myself. So for sure, we want to be back there. I just don’t know at the moment, of course, myself, how much or how many races I can do next year.
“But if there is an opportunity and I feel good about it, plus whatever is happening in F1, then for sure. I mean, F1, of course, is still my main goal. So yeah, it’s a lot of races, but that’s what I signed up for. So for me, that is not something that I’m upset about or disappointed with. I also know that it’s not going to be forever doing this.
“So it’s also just to make sure that everything is well run with the GT3 team and that they are up and running. And then for me, it’s quite easy to, if I want to, jump in and participate. But yeah, I mean, I think we all know that 24 races is a lot, for sure. Sometimes you miss out on some other great races, but at the same time, I’m still very young, so I can still catch up on those kind of races later on.”
Here’s what other F1 drivers said –
Lando Norris: “I mean, it’s cool. It’s nice he can go and do what he wants. I think after you win four world championships, you have a bit more right to just go and choose what you want to do. Everyone knows how much Max loves doing all those things. And yeah, it’s nice that he goes to do something else that he enjoys. But you can do what you want. Like, I don’t know how much it adds to your greatness or not, but the fact he can go into any series and be probably the best, I think does show how good he is and how great he is. I’ve said it many times. I think he’s born to be, and will forever be, one of the best ever, if not the best in Formula 1.
“So I think for anyone to have a chance of going up against him and beating him is pretty slim at times. But no, it’s cool. I respect it. I think it’s a great thing. If I could go and do it more, maybe I would. But I don’t know about my future still. Like, I still see a time when I’ll just want to leave Formula 1 and go do other things — go play golf and have some fun elsewhere. But I respect a lot what Max does, and I respect Max a lot, like I’ve always said. But yeah, I’ve not seen any of it, but I love the Nordschleife, so that is probably another place I would love to go and try at one point. No, not a worry at all. I mean, any driver can go and do what they want, you know?”
Esteban Ocon: “Awesome. Yeah, I think that was really cool. I watched some of it. Obviously, it was a very long race, but I was definitely looking. I’ve done some testing and developing on some cars on the Nordschleife last year because I wanted to learn the track and have a feel for myself. I’ve been racing this track on Gran Turismo for years and years. And to have seen Max going there and winning the race was obviously incredible. No doubt of how good he is. Remarkable to say the least because we have a very busy schedule — he’s playing a world championship potentially. He’s won already four, which helps in his decision on going or not to do other things.
“But yeah, if I was in his position, I would probably do the same, definitely. But it is not the case. If Max likes to do other types of racing, it’s his right. And if the team lets him do it, he’s going to do it for sure. It was a very different scenario for Robert. And yeah, we are always all thinking, what if that didn’t happen for Robert? Even his comeback in Formula 1 was awesome. I’ve raced against him — George also – in the same team. That was an incredible comeback. But yeah, I’m sure we would have seen him on the top step many more times than what we did. Yeah. I think it is, definitely — especially in long periods where we don’t race, basically from November to — I mean, February now next year. We will drive in January, so it will be very different. But yes, I feel that it’s very useful just to keep your eye in, get more car control.
“I do a lot of drifting sessions as well during the winter, some go-kart driving or buggy driving. It’s just something I enjoy, but I feel that it is useful at times when you are in certain tricky situations — on the wet or whatever. You lose the car at one point, well, you get your eye in because you’ve done that corner and that situation a million times, basically, in the winter in some other cars. So it’s more the old school guys that were saying how good it was and valuable for them to race in many different categories. I mean, it’s so specific now, F1, that might be a bit less, but you can still get some stuff from other series and learn new things, new skills. As long as you can be in a good car on four wheels on a racetrack, I think it’s always valuable.”
George Russell: “Yeah, I think it’s incredible, to be honest. Like the two guys said, I think we’re all pretty jealous of it. Because having this freedom, of firstly doing what you love in Formula 1, but then also being able to go out and race other things and just enjoy it at your leisure — I don’t think it’s quite that straightforward for other people doing it. But you have that right when you win four world championships. And we’re all here fighting to win our first. Maybe after four championships under our belts, we’ll be able to choose to do the same. But no, respect it a lot.
“And definitely, I would love to do it one day. I think you have to do what you enjoy in life, and there’s a risk in everything. You know, we can slip on the padel court and break a leg, as an example, or you fall down the stairs in the morning. So I think, obviously, there are certain things that have a greater risk. Obviously, rally is probably a higher risk than racing a GT3 car on a racetrack. But ultimately, we all have to do what we enjoy. This is life. A lot of drivers go skiing as well. You know, you can’t wrap yourself in bubble wrap.”
Alexander Albon: “There’s a lot to gain from driving different cars—call it a little bit like your ‘vocabulary’. You read a book, you increase your vocabulary; you drive different cars, you increase what we call our ‘toolbox’. You learn different ways to drive quickly and you figure out different techniques, different challenges, different criteria in terms of limitations with the car and how you drive around them. GT cars have electronics—ABS, traction control—and sometimes it feels like you’re driving to the limit of systems rather than the grip of the tyre, at least it did for me.
“Max is someone who just loves what he does and drives everything he can. If you speak to him, he really thinks about these things and tries to improve himself as a driver. It’s very cool to see someone have the kind of passion he does. I found my year in DTM very challenging, but I learned a different way to drive a car. Even now—karting, doing different things, even rallying, ice driving—there are loads of ways you can improve yourself to be more complete.”
Gabriel Bortoleto: “Yeah, I watched the race. Yeah, I’m not surprised. He’s winning in F1, why wouldn’t he win in GT3? It’s obviously different categories, but I think already beat the record at the Nordschleife unofficially previously, so I expected him to do well in the race – and he did. Not only him, but also his teammate and good friend of mine, Chris Lulham, he did an amazing job coming from the sim world to the real track. The performance he has been putting in the races he has been doing is very impressive.
“I would love it [to do other races as Max’s teammate]. I mean, it’s something I definitely want to do in the future. Not now, it’s not my focus. I just joined F1, I want to have a long career here and a successful one, hopefully. But definitely one day I would love to share a car with him, maybe with Fernando as well. It would be very, very cool to share [a car] with them [at] a race like that, [to] have a new experience.”
Oliver Bearman: “Yeah, I mean, I watched his lap, I mean the track looks so cool, so fun to drive and I think that GT car looks so quick around the track in Nordschleife, it looks fun to drive. I think the really thing is his teammate Chris Lulham. Actually, I was racing with him in karting when I was like 7 or 8 years old, he was very fast and very-very good and then he went to sim racing and was like the best sim racer in the world. Now he is doing GT World Challenge this year and he is racing with Max in Nordscheilfe, that’s such an awesome experience.
“I am a big fan of Max, that’s really cool to see. I put the stream on but it was in German, so not really sure what was going on but I watched some highlights and I always watched the pole lap, where he had to overtake a car on the grass, it was pretty cool. I would love to, I mean I love driving, GT I think is very useful for anyone to drive because everything is a bit more spread out, I mean the corners is twice or three times longer than in F1, it gives you more time to focus on your technique and braking which is such an important thing in F1.
“But since the braking zone is always half in the second run, it is really tough to feel the whole braking zone because everything happens…it is like you are braking when you are already turning in, so tough to work on your technique whereas in GT, you can really practice that and some of the best drivers in the world are racing in GT, so it is a good thing. I think [I would love to do] Nurburging.”
Pierre Gasly: “I saw some of the highlights. I did go on the internet to have a look at the race start and kind of looked a few things up to see how it went. No, I must say, I find it really cool. It’s great for Max to have the opportunity to sort of organise these things. Ultimately, it’s great. It got to a point where, for him, he’s got his team, he’s got his cars, he’s got… Let’s say, he’s got a nice set-up to just go around and actually do this type of racing. I think it’s great for the sport. And yeah, ultimately, I wouldn’t mind joining him in the future on some of this racing because I think it’s just incredible.
“Obviously, we like cars, we like racing. I think the fact of taking someone from the sim world as well, it’s quite a unique story. I find it’s really respectful and really cool from his part to do all these things. I haven’t asked if I’ll be able to race in a Ferrari. But yeah, I mean, why not? I’m keen on racing, I love that. For me, at this stage, it’s just not that simple to organise this type of thing. If you do it, you want to do it well, right? You want to practice, get some running in the cars. Do it with people that you trust, that can provide a good set-up.
“I think I just don’t have that, so it will just require a bit more energy, etc., which, at the moment, is not the right time. But for sure, hopefully in the near future, it’s something that I could explore. The Nordschleife is an iconic race track. I think it’s just insane. There’s nothing that comes close to it, really. So yeah, definitely keen on that. Yeah, there are talks [about the Alpine Le Mans car]. But again, it’s all about finding the right time and the right way of doing it. There are talks, but let’s say it’s still a long way until we make it something proper.”
Here’s Max Verstappen on F1 title chances
Here’s how the run with Max Verstappen in GT3 panned out