Max Verstappen achieved the victory at the ninth round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), which was a four-hour endurance race on the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Max Verstappen participated in the NLS GT3 race primarily for personal passion and as a crucial step toward achieving his long-term endurance racing dream. The 9th round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS9) - the 57th ADAC Barbarossa Prize.
Verstappen has repeatedly stated that racing in other categories, especially endurance racing, is a hobby and a great passion of his outside of Formula 1. He is known to be an avid sim racer, often competing in virtual endurance events. He called it his passion to do these kinds of GT3 races too and said he is enthusiastic about racing, even outside of Formula 1.
He described the Nürburgring Nordschleife ("The Green Hell") as being "at the top of my list of tracks I want to race on" due to its challenging and demanding nature. He drove Ferrari 296 GT3 run by the Emil Frey Racing team alongside Chris Lulham. Max started third, took the lead on the first lap, and built a substantial lead during his opening stints before handing the car over to Lulham, who brought it home for the win.
The NLS GT3 race was a necessary step to qualify for his ultimate goal at the circuit, which is his main dream is to eventually compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring endurance race. The NLS race was part of the process to secure the required DMSB Nordschleife Permit A — the top-tier license needed to race high-powered GT3 cars at the Nordschleife, especially for the 24-hour race.
He had already completed a previous step by racing a Porsche GT4 car to earn the initial license required for the GT3 race. Reportedly, he chose a weekend where there was a gap between Formula 1 Grands Prix (Azerbaijan and Singapore) to pursue this interest. While shifting his focus back to Formula 1, as he is scheduled for the Singapore Grand Prix from October 3–5. Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko has indicated that Max Verstappen is set to race in the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
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