The four-time Formula 1 world champion, Max Verstappen, achieved an impressive victory in his GT3 race debut at Nordschleife on Saturday.
Verstappen, competing in a Ferrari 296 from Emil Frey Racing alongside Chris Lulham in the Nürburgring Endurance Series, finished 24.5 seconds ahead of the Ford Mustang GT3 of Dennis Fetzer, Jann Mardenborough, and Fabio Scherer, who finished in second place.
This was Verstappen’s debut in endurance racing and comes after he tested at the 13-mile-long Nordschleife, nicknamed “the Green Hell”, under the alias “Franz Hermann” earlier this year.Max Verstappen achieved a victory outside of Formula 1 on Saturday.
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Nordschleife is considered one of the most dangerous circuits in the world. It was the venue for the German Grand Prix in the past.
Verstappen has shown a growing interest in competing outside of F1 in recent years.
Red Bull has allowed him to participate, as there is a growing internal belief that Verstappen’s long-term participation in Formula 1 will be linked to how many races he is allowed to run outside the world championship.
Verstappen has also expressed his desire to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at some point in the future.
He is currently 44 points behind second place, Lando Norris, and 69 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri, in the F1 drivers’ standings. McLaren boss Andrea Stella warned after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the Dutchman is still in the fight for the title.
