How did Max Verstappen fare on the first day of him taking part in the Nurburgring Endurance Series?

Despite the F1 sphere taking some time off from racing action, reigning champion Max Verstappen is not taking any breaks and participating in the ninth round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The Dutchman took the No. 31 Ferrari 296 GT3 around the track for a valiant qualifying attempt for the race later in the day.

Qualifying for the ninth round of the NLS was delayed by about 30 minutes due to fog covering the track. While this hampered the initial run plans for the teams, the drivers soon got up to speed and started putting in faster and faster lap times to fight for the pole position alongside Verstappen.

On the intermediate tires, Verstappen was in provisional pole position, but when he changed onto the slick tires, he lost out on the front seat of the race as he slipped down to third in the final classification. He qualified behind the #34 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo and the #8 Audi R8 LMS GT3.

However, his fastest attempt was only just over three seconds slower than the pole laptime as he completed a lap within 8:09.126s with a bit of traffic on his final lap. So, reflecting on his qualification, the 27-year-old said (via RN365):

"It actually went really well on the intermediates, the car was running super."

"It's not easy to time your run well here. On my last lap, I ran into way too much traffic to make a good lap. But everything is going really well. The tyres are good, so I believe that normally in the race everything should still be possible."

Max Verstappen is paired with Christopher Lulham for the ninth round of the NLS.

---

Max Verstappen is ecstatic to do GT3 races at the Nurburgring Nordschleife after earning his DMSB permit

Emil Frey Racing's Max Verstappen at the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen had made a test run at the Nurburgring Nordschleife earlier in the year with a GT3 car. Seemingly, this had an impact on the Dutchman as he made up his mind to race in the NLS in the breaks that the F1 calendar had in the 2025 season.

Moreover, revealing how he wants to race in other racing series' also, he said (via Verstappen.com):

"It is my passion to do these kinds of GT3 races too. I can’t wait! I’m passionate about racing, also outside of Formula 1. Every lap at the Nordschleife is a different kind of experience. The atmosphere is also really good and there are a lot of endurance fans present. It’s my hobby to race in other categories than Formula 1. My dream is to eventually participate in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife."

Meanwhile, Verstappen's race at the Nurburgring got underway at noon CET.