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Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen came out after the Italian GP and confirmed that he will be making his debut in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The Dutchman arrived at the iconic circuit ahead of Race 7 and turned heads with his eye-catching qualifying performance.
With F1 taking a two-week hiatus after the Italian GP, it was the perfect opportunity for the Red Bull driver to race in the NLS. However, to get the A-class license to race the GT3 cars, Verstappen had to pass a German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB) test, followed by racing in a lower-class car and completing 14 laps, and finishing two races.
As a result, Max Verstappen stepped into the #980 Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (Cup3 class) for the NLS Race 7. However, as per the rules, the Dutchman had to be in a car with no more than 300 horsepower, with the regular Cayman GT4 CS putting out 425 horsepower.
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Verstappen's car was defined, and some weight was added to it to meet the requirements for his NLS debut. Despite being in a slower car, Max Verstappen was able to qualify P6 in the Cup3 class and was over 15 seconds slower than the class leader.
However, a better benchmark for Verstappen would be another Cup3(G) car, which had a similar specification to the Red Bull driver's car. The F1 driver's fastest qualifying lap time of 10:21.591 was over 25 seconds faster than the next Cup3(G) car.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is just not a racing driver by profession, but racing is also his passion. During his time away from F1, the Dutchman can be spotted on Twitch and other social media platforms, livestreaming races in the simulator.
Verstappen has driven multiple hours in the simulator around Nurburgring Nordschleife in the GT3 cars and has showcased interest in actually racing the cars around the iconic circuit.
Max Verstappen's slow start to the Nurburgring Endurance Championship Race 7 and the troubles at the first pitstop
Max Verstappen's P6 starting position at the NLS Race 7, despite being down on horsepower and beating faster cars, was down to the fact that the track was damp during the qualifying. A wet track gives an advantage to the driver's skill rather than the performance of the car.
However, the start of the race was dry, and Verstappen instantly lost multiple positions on the start-finish straight, followed by other cars in the Cup3 (Pro & Am) classes passing him on the first lap. The F1 champion settled down into P14 in his class. The race was not about the pace, but about completing the laps to get the A-class license.
Just over an hour into the race, Max Verstappen made his first pitstop, and the team opened up the hood and removed the tires. It was suspected that the F1 star had an issue with the brakes and that the pit crew was bleeding the brake lines. Fortunately, the team was able to get the issue resolved, and after a lengthy pitstop, Verstappen was back on the track.
Over two hours into the race, Verstappen made his second stop, and his teammate and Team Redline prodigy Chris Lulham stepped into the car.
