Formula One’s Max Verstappen dominated the ninth round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, his debut GT3 race at the ‘Green Hell’ in Emil Frey Racing’s #31 Ferrari 296 GT3. However, that isn’t where he wants to stop his winning spree, with plans for the future already in sight.
Despite starting the GT3 race in P3, Verstappen took over the lead at Turn 1 and maintained position in his two-hour stint. Towards the end of his run, he had built a 62-second lead over the car behind him and also set the fastest time of the session, registering a time of 7:51.514 minutes.
His teammate Chris Lulham then took over the wheel and extended the lead to 70 seconds in just a few laps. Despite racing through traffic and yellow flags, the 22-year-old driver crossed the finish line with a 22.7-second advantage.
Verstappen was happy with his debut GT3 race that ended with a victory. Speaking about his performance and his goal of competing in the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, he said:
The #31 Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Christopher Lulham of Great Britain during the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis, at Nürburgring on September 27, 2025 in Nuerburg, Germany.
The #31 Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Christopher Lulham of Great Britain during the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis, at Nürburgring on September 27, 2025 in Nuerburg, Germany.
Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images
“Yes, it was great. The first two stints went really well.
“The car performs well on a dry track, I already knew that from qualifying, we didn’t make any big mistakes, and to win here on our first attempt is obviously fantastic.
“I didn’t see the [first lap incident involving another car] at the time. I only saw it after my stints, but these things happen.
“Of course, I would love to compete in the 24-hour race, whether that happens next year or later, but we still need more experience for that, of course.
“That’s a given, so hopefully we can compete in more races next year.”
The GT3 win is a huge milestone for the Red Bull driver, who said after qualifying that he was enjoying his debut session. After securing a P3 race start, Verstappen said:
“It went well. On the intermediates, it went super well, and the balance in the car is also excellent.
“There was a lot of traffic on the track, of course, so finding the right moment to set a fast lap wasn’t easy.
“When we were on slicks, I had too much traffic on my last lap to really get a good time. But the car is running well and the tyres are good, so it should be fine during the race.
“The speed differences with so many different cars are obviously huge. There was only one dry line, so I was pushing the limits in some corners. But I’m enjoying it.”