First win as a Ferrari driver for Max Verstappen: “An incredible feeling”. Max Verstappen wins his debut race with Ferrari at the Nürburgring in the 296 GT3.

Max Verstappen celebrated a dream debut with Ferrari at the Nürburgring, taking victory in the 296 GT3 and immediately setting his sights on the future. The Dutchman’s ambition is clear: racing in the 24 Hours, though he admits more experience will be needed before that becomes reality.

Ferrari and Max Verstappen proved to be a winning combination straight away, with triumph at the Nürburgring behind the wheel of the 296 GT3. The Dutchman sealed victory on his debut in the NLS (Nürburgring Endurance Series), just a week after his Formula 1 success in Azerbaijan. It was the result of an almost perfect race, in which the Hasselt-born champion shared driving duties with Chris Lulham, a rising star from sim racing and already a winner in the GT World Challenge.

The images from the Nürburgring had a vintage flavor: Max Verstappen, four-time Formula 1 world champion with Red Bull, took his very first win in GT3 with a Ferrari. On social media, many fans have been quick to joke that Verstappen became the first F1 driver to win with Ferrari in 2025 — even before the team’s official drivers, if one excludes the Shanghai Sprint Race.

Jokes aside, the Dutch Lion’s achievement deserves proper recognition. It has been a long time since a current F1 driver, fully engaged in the world championship, stepped into a completely different category and won. And Verstappen seems in no rush to stop here. While this year’s commitments might leave no further room on the calendar, next season already promises to be packed with new opportunities.

Verstappen: “An incredible feeling, I want the 24 Hours”

At the end of the race, Verstappen could hardly hide his joy: “Racing here is incredible, the first two stints went really well. The car performed strongly in the dry, I had already noticed that in qualifying, and we didn’t make any mistakes. Winning at the first attempt is fantastic.”

Looking ahead, the future remains wide open. While it is unlikely that Verstappen will appear in Formula 1 with Ferrari any time soon, the Red Bull star is already eager to return to the 296 GT3: “I want to race in the 24 Hours, whether that happens next year or later. But we still need a little more experience. Hopefully, we can compete in more races next season.”