Max Verstappen says that when it comes to sharpening his skill set after his victory at the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, he “doesn’t hurt” the race at Nord Schreif in the GT3 car.
The defending Formula 1 champion won the endurance race in the Ferrari 296 GT3 run in Verstappen’s racing weekend at Nordschlife, run by Emil Frey Race and in Verstappen’s racing/Red Bull colouring. Verstappen doesn’t know if there is a direct benefit to his Formula 1 duties, but he believes that racing other machines has no drawbacks.
“It was so much fun,” Verstappen said. “We’ve been preparing it for a while, but it was only two days. Again, it was great to race a little bit in wet and dry and get more and more experience. And of course, to win that, it’s an extra bonus.
“Does that make me a better driver? I’ve already been doing this with a simulator for years so it’s not that different to what I’m doing in my life now. But it definitely won’t hurt.
Verstappen will not compete again at Nordschleife this year, but he is interested in his return in 2026 and says he also races on radar for the 24-hour race.
“It depends on a lot of things, and to be honest,” he said. “First of all, it depends on F1. Of course, I suspect that next year’s rules will first become very complicated from some unknowns.
“And that’s what the GT3 team programme for cars we’ll be racing next year. Many things should come together before you can plan it in advance, just for drivers who are already on the team.
“We certainly want to go back there. At this point, we don’t know how many races we can do next year. But we have the opportunity, I feel good about it and I’m sure it’s happening in Formula 1.
“Of course, F1 is still my main goal. Yeah, it’s a lot of races, but it’s also something I signed up for. For me, it’s not something I’m sad or disappointed about.
“It all runs well with the GT3 team and makes sure they’re up and running. For me, it’s very easy if you want to jump in and take part. I think you know there are a lot of 24 races.
Verstappen’s Exploits caught the eye of many of his peers in Formula 1.
“To be honest, I think it’s incredible,” Russell said. “I think we’re all pretty jealous of it. We have this freedom and we do what we love in Formula 1 first, but then we can go out and compete for other things and enjoy it in your spare time.
“But when you win four world championships, you have that right. And we are all fighting for our first victory. Maybe after four championships under our belt, we can choose to do the same thing.
Russell’s comments were reflected by Lando Norris, who says Verstappen’s success in the GT3 car further highlights his talent.
“Cool,” Norris said. “It’s nice that he can go and do what he wants. After you win the four world championships, I think you’re a little more right just to go and choose what you want to do. Everyone knows how much they like to do all of them.
“I don’t know how much it adds to your greatness, but I think the fact that he can be in any series and probably the best shows how good he is, I’ve said it many times.
“But it’s cool. I respect that. I think it’s great. If I could go more and do it, I might. But I still don’t know about my future. I still see when I want to leave Formula 1 and do other things – I’ll enjoy playing golf wherever I always do.
“I’ve never seen it, but I love Nord Shrief so that’s probably another place I’d like to go and try at some point.”
