‘It doesn’t hurt’: Are Max Verstappen’s Nurburgring races making him a better driver?

Max Verstappen is relishing his first weekend off in seven weeks after his Nurburgring adventures, and shed some light on his racing plans away from F1 in 2026.

Verstappen has used his recent off-weekends from F1 to head to the Nurburgring, achieve his racing licence at the German circuit, and win at his first attempt at a real-life endurance event on the Nordschleife.

Max Verstappen: Nurburgring races ‘won’t hurt’ becoming a better driver

Since the resumption of the F1 calendar after the summer break, Verstappen has been away from home taking part in weekend racing, even aside from his frantic F1 schedule.

After the double-header of Zandvoort and Monza, Verstappen took part in an endurance race at the Nordschliefe, driving a detuned Porsche to complete an event and secure a full Nordschliefe permit to allow him to take part in a full-blooded GT3 race at the German circuit.

Having popped over to Azerbaijan to win the Grand Prix in Baku the following weekend, Verstappen then headed back to the Nordschleife a few days later to race in the top class of the NLS, the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, where he drove a Ferrari 296 GT3 to victory alongside Verstappen.com teammate Chris Lulham.

Having seized the lead at the start, Verstappen put his Ferrari, run by Emil Frey Racing, into a commanding position early on; it was a lead that he and Lulham never relinquished during the four-hour race.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I’ve been preparing for that, of course, for a while,” Verstappen told the media in Singapore, having headed over to Asia days after his Nordschleife victory in order to resume his usual Red Bull F1 duties.

“The people, 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 in general, around the garage and on the track before the race. But that’s nice to see that the passion is there.

“I think in general, you know, the German racing fans, they’re always there for these kinds of endurance races. I’ve seen that before, and I’m just very happy that they came out to support. I think it can only get bigger from here.

“It was just two very nice days again, racing a bit in the wet and the dry, just getting more and more experience. It was nice, of course, to win it. Yeah, that’s an extra bonus.”

Asked whether these extra-curricular events are making him a better all-rounder, the four-time F1 World Champion replied, “Does it make me a better driver? I mean, I’ve been doing this already for so many years on the simulator, you know?

“So, for me, doing it now in real life is not very, very different, but it definitely doesn’t hurt. I think I can say that.”

After this weekend, there are just two weekends free between now and the season finale of the F1 championship in Abu Dhabi, and Verstappen laughed when asked if he has any further plans in endurance racing this year.

“I’m taking a bit of a break!” he said.

“After [Singapore] weekend, I’ve done six weekends in a row, so it’s quite a bit!”

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What is next for Max Verstappen’s endurance racing adventure?

The intent behind securing his Nordschleife racing licence has been with an eye to taking part in one of endurance racing’s most prestigious events, the Nurburgring 24 Hours. In 2026, the F1 schedule does permit Verstappen to take part as the 24-hour race is on an off-weekend between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix.

Having secured the licence which would allow him to compete for outright victory in GT3 machinery, the Dutch driver is also enjoying the support of Red Bull to take part in a small number of non-F1 racing activities, particularly with Verstappen fielding his own racing team with Red Bull’s backing.

Verstappen established his own ‘Verstappen.com Racing’ team that races in the GT World Challenge Europe, using an Aston Martin AMR GT3 Evo, and in the DTM with a Ferrari 296 GT3.

Of his team owner ambitions, Verstappen has expressed an interest in creating a stepping stone from sim racing to GT3, which is exactly the path Verstappen’s Nurburgring partner came from, as Lulham has stepped up from Verstappen’s sim racing team Redline.

But, as a racing driver, Verstappen isn’t yet sure of whether 2026 will be the year he takes part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, as it will hinge on quite a few things coming together, including what car his team will use in 2026.

“It depends on a lot of things, to be honest,” he said.

“It depends on F1 first of all, I am suspecting 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 we are going to race next year, stuff like that.

“So a lot of things 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 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.”

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