Max Verstappen secures Nürburgring permit, ready for Ferrari 296 GT3 endurance races. Max Verstappen successfully completed his Nürburgring Permit A requirements.

Verstappen completes Nürburgring mission: earns license to drive Ferrari 296 GT3 in 24-hour races

Max Verstappen has no time to rest. After successfully finishing the Italian Grand Prix, during the break between Monza and Baku—where the Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place this weekend—the Dutch driver took to the track once again, this time behind the wheel of a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, as part of the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The primary goal for the Red Bull driver was to complete the 14 required laps on the Green Hell to obtain the ‘Permit A’, the essential qualification needed to participate in future competitions such as the Nürburgring 24 Hours and to drive cars like the Ferrari 296 GT3.

Thrills at the Green Hell

Mission accomplished for Verstappen. After completing his sessions in Germany, he commented on his experience over the nearly 25 km-long circuit: “I’m happy that everything went smoothly and that I obtained my DMSB permit for the Nordschleife. I had a lot of fun, which is always the case around here,” said the four-time Formula 1 World Champion, who will now be able to take part in future events with the Ferrari 296 GT3. “It was great to drive several stints in race conditions with traffic, both faster and slower cars. There was even a ‘Code 60’ race neutralization, double yellow flags, and standard yellow flags. I drove in wet, dry, and mixed conditions. I gained experience identifying grip levels and completed a start procedure. It was really valuable to gain additional experience on this circuit. It’s challenging, and we saw parts of the track dry while others were wet. The asphalt also changes throughout the lap, which makes completing a perfect lap difficult, but that’s also what makes it special. Racing a 24-hour event here in a GT3 car would be fantastic.”

The weekend results

Verstappen, who competed alongside British driver Chris Lulham as part of the Verstappen.com Racing team, faced qualifying in wet track conditions before taking part in the main race the following day with a total of 114 cars. After starting on a damp track, the conditions changed again during the race, forcing the Dutchman to make a pit stop for a tire change. Verstappen ultimately finished in 27th place, gaining invaluable experience on the Nordschleife.