Max Verstappen takes critical step in racing future beyond F1

Max Verstappen has taken a critical step towards racing outside of Formula 1 by seeking a driver categorisation from the FIA.

The four-time F1 World Champion Verstappen is now categorised as a Platinum driver in a move that opens up an array of possibilities from the World Endurance Championship to GT3 events.

Verstappen laying foundation for racing outside of F1

Driver categorisation is a key part of the process for a driver looking to compete in GT and sports car racing.

It underpins the World Endurance Championship as well as other competitions such as the various GT World Challenge championships globally.

The system is used to broadly rank drivers and is a means of levelling the competition in an arena of the sport in which amateurs are still prevalent at the top level.

As an active F1 driver, Verstappen was assured of a platinum rating.

Managed by the FIA, ratings are not automatically determined and are performed on a case-by-case basis, meaning Verstappen has requested he be categorised.

It’s an important next step as it begins to open the door for the Dutchman to compete in events outside of the F1 sphere.

“I applied,” Verstappen confirmed to the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Barcelona.

“I have to do it at some point, so I better got it out of the way. I mean, it’s super easy, it’s just a form that you fill in and you pay and a week later you have the answer.

“I was secretly hoping for a Bronze rating; I might appeal the Platinum and get Silver at least!”

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In the week between the Miami and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, Verstappen sampled a Ferrari 488 GT3 at the Nurburgring Nordschleife during an open practice day.

Running to Balance of Performance regulations, the 27-year-old claims to have recorded a time below the existing lap record.

Verstappen has an interest in GT racing with his own team, Verstappen.com Racing, fielding and Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo for Harry King, Theirry Vermeulen, and Chris Lulham in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

It’s thought Verstappen’s efforts are building towards a berth on the Nurburgring 24 grid, an event that runs across the June 21-22 weekend, conveniently between the Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix.

However, obtaining his FIA driver categorisation alone isn’t sufficient to compete in that event.

A multi-class event with cars of wildly differing performances, drivers also need to obtain a ‘Ring Permit’ – officially a DMSB Permit Nordschleife (or DPN).

To do so, a driver must have competed around the Nordschleife in other competitions within a specific time period – typically through the VLN series, which operates four- and six-hour multi-class races at the fabled venue.

There are 11 such events scheduled throughout 2025, including an ‘NLS Light’ event at which GT3 machinery, such as the Ferrari Verstappen tested at the Nurburgring, is excluded.

Of the five other events, none clash with Verstappen’s F1 commitments.

While an appearance at the Nurburgring 24 appears a longer term ambition, along with a berth at the GT3 blue-riband event, the 24 Hours of Spa.

His Verstappen.com Racing squad is entered in this year’s race as a Gold entry, with sources suggesting to PlanetF1.com that the Dutchman is eyeing a berth at a future running of the event.

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