SINGAPORE — Entering the final quarter of a 24-race season and with a stretch of long-haul flights ahead, the last place most Formula One drivers would want to spend a weekend off is another race track.
The specific demands of the Singapore Grand Prix, one of the hottest and most physically gruelling races on the F1 calendar, made the grid’s preparations in the past week or so that bit more crucial, with a ‘heat hazard’ now declared for the race.
For Max Verstappen, the reigning F1 world champion, his preparation involved even more racing.
It wasn’t even behind the wheel of an open-wheel car. Verstappen drove a Ferrari GT3 sports car in the latest NLS championship round, held at the Nürburgring —a fearsome, 12.9-mile track in Germany known as “the Green Hell.” Sir Jackie Stewart, a three-time F1 World Champion, famously coined the nickname. The track’s dense forest surroundings, combined with its dangerous and unforgiving layout, make it feel like an ominous place for drivers.
Of course, Verstappen won.
In a car operated by Emil Frey Racing and sponsored by Verstappen.com, Verstappen and his teammate, Chris Lulham, won the four-hour race by over 24 seconds. Lulham is a sports car driver who made his name in Esports, racing alongside Verstappen in the virtual world.
Despite the demands of the F1 schedule, Verstappen had been preparing for months to make his sports car debut at the Nürburgring, the GT3 project being a vital passion of his. Verstappen even had to pass a license test at the track two weeks prior so he could enter the four-hour race; not even a four-time world champion gets a free pass.
“We’ve been preparing for that for a while; (it was) just two very nice days,” Verstappen told reporters in Singapore on Thursday. “Racing a bit in the wet, in the dry, just getting more and more experience was nice. And then of course to win it, that’s an extra bonus.”
Max Verstappen driving a 296 GT3 at Nuerburgring on September 27. (Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images)
Verstappen’s efforts were the talk of the paddock in Singapore on Thursday, with many of his peers heaping praise on the Dutchman. Ollie Bearman watched the highlights and recalled racing against Lulham when he was in karting. “To be racing with Max at the Nordschleife, that must be such an awesome experience,” Bearman said. “I’m a big fan of Max. That’s really cool to see.”
Shifting focus to a sports car race between F1 weekends is no concern for Red Bull, either. Verstappen obtained his licence between the grands prix in Italy and Azerbaijan, both of which he won, reigniting talk of a championship bid. Verstappen trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 69 points with seven races remaining.
Clearly, his time at the Nürburgring was no distraction.
“I think after you win four world championships, you have a bit more right to just go and choose what you want to do,” said McLaren’s Lando Norris. “Everyone knows how much Max loves doing all those things.”
The length of the F1 calendar (the 2025 season is 24 races across 266 days) and its steady expansion over recent years have drawn criticism from Verstappen. But spending a rare weekend off at the Nürburgring was no chore. “Max is someone who just loves what he does and drives everything he can,” said Alex Albon. “If you speak to him, he really thinks about these things and tries to improve himself as a driver. It’s very cool to see someone have the kind of passion he does.”
To see Verstappen succeed in the GT3 race against a field of seasoned drivers may come as little surprise; such is his talent that is displayed every other weekend through the F1 season. He is also no stranger to sports car machinery, given that he regularly tests GT cars in his spare time.
Yet those cars do require a different set of skills, which, as a racing driver, can be helpful to hone by experiencing other cars and categories.
“GT is quite useful for anyone to drive, because everything is a bit more spread out,” said Bearman, who explained the longer braking zones and slower corner speeds actually offered drivers more time to hone their technique. “Some of the best drivers in the world are racing in GT. It’s really cool.”
Albon spent a year racing sports cars in 2021, entering the DTM championship in Germany alongside a test and reserve role at Red Bull before returning to a full-time F1 seat the following year at Williams. He felt he was a better driver after the year away.
“There’s a lot to gain from driving different cars, call it a little bit like your ‘vocabulary,’” Albon explained. “You read a book, you increase your vocabulary. You drive different cars, you increase what we call our ‘toolbox.’
“You learn different ways to drive quickly and you figure out different techniques, different challenges, different criteria in terms of limitations with the car and how you drive around them.”
Norris was unsure how much competing and racing sports cars would add to Verstappen’s greatness. “But the fact he can go into any series and be probably the best does show how good he is and how great he is,” Norris said. “I’ve said it many times. I think he’s born to be, and will forever be, one of the best ever, if not the best, in Formula One.“
Taming a track like the Nürburgring may be a challenge, but Verstappen was already well-acquainted with the circuit in the virtual world. He has been a part of Team Redline, one of the biggest sim racing teams in the world, since he was a teenager.
“Does it make me a better driver? I’ve been doing this already for so many years on the simulator, so me doing it now in real life is not very different,” Verstappen said. “But it definitely doesn’t hurt, I think I can say that.”
Modern F1’s globetrotting demands make it rare for drivers to cross codes. Fernando Alonso was the last active racer to seriously pursue another category, entering the full World Endurance Championship season with Toyota in 2018, while still with McLaren, and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also missed the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix for the Indianapolis 500 in pursuit of the ‘triple crown of motorsport,’ and has done the Dakar Rally. Nico Hülkenberg won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2015 for Porsche while racing in F1 with Force India, but made just two sports car race appearances that season.
Verstappen’s GT race was the talk of the Singapore GP paddock. (Clive Mason / Getty Images)
Many drivers are eager to compete in other events in the future, particularly the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But most want to wait until their time in F1 is over to dedicate more time to the project. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has spoken before about one day entering Le Mans alongside his brother, Arthur, but told The Athletic in an interview last month that doing the race was “not something that today I would consider. I feel that we are quite busy! I don’t feel that I’ve got enough time to dedicate to that.”
Verstappen admitted that he is now ready for a break. Between the recent runs of grands prix, his outing at the Nürburgring to get his licence, and last weekend’s race, Singapore is his sixth consecutive weekend on the track. He is opting to miss the final NLS round next weekend, but is already starting to give thought to his involvement next year.
“It depends on F1, first of all,” Verstappen said, stressing it remained his “main goal” and that with the significant car design rule changes for 2026, it would likely be “a little bit more hectic” in the season than this year. He also wanted to finalize major details for his affiliated drivers, including what make of GT car would be entered into races.
“A lot of things have to come together before I can really plan it well in advance for just my drivers already in the team, plus myself,” Verstappen said. “For sure, we want to be back there. I just don’t know at the moment myself how much or 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.”
A love for racing is what pushes Verstappen to embark on such adventures. He didn’t arrive at the Nürburgring expecting preferential treatment, nor were any special requests made because of his stardom. “The people and all the drivers were super nice,” Verstappen said. “I also don’t feel, or don’t act, like a different person with them. We had good fun out there.”
If it helps sharpen the skills that have made him a four-time world champion and emerge as one of the most excellent F1 drivers of all-time, it’s merely a bonus.
To Verstappen, his foray into sports cars is all about a love for his craft and wanting to have as much fun as possible.
(Top photo: Thomas Frey / picture alliance via Getty Images)
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