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Max Verstappen Set to Make Nurburgring Nordschleife Debut With Lionspeed GP Porsche After Italian GP

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Samriddhi Jaiswal | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 10:03 AM ET

Fresh off the Italian GP, Max Verstappen is wasting no time diving into another challenge. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the three-time F1 world champion will head to Germany this week to compete in Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) at the legendary Nordschleife.

The move puts into motion a plan Verstappen hinted at earlier this year, following his blistering unofficial lap record with a Ferrari 296 GT3 around the 20.8-kilometer circuit.

But before he can take on the Green Hell in GT3 machinery, the Dutchman has a few hoops to jump through.

On Friday (Sept. 12), Verstappen will complete a mandatory driver training course, which includes a theoretical exam. From there, regulations prevented him from immediately racing the Ferrari GT3.

Instead, he is expected to start in a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS run by Lionspeed GP —the same car his teammate Chris Lulham recently used to secure his own Nordschleife license.

For Verstappen, the path to GT3 approval could be short. As a Platinum-rated driver, he can qualify in just one event by completing 14 clean laps across two different cars.

According to information obtained by Auto Motor und Sport, Max Verstappen will travel to Germany just a few days after the Italian Grand Prix in Monza to compete in a Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

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That shortcut would allow him to fast-track his debut in the Ferrari 296 GT3 with Emil Frey Racing in round nine of the NLS on September 27, just after the Azerbaijan GP.

If all goes to plan, it would mark Verstappen’s first competitive outing on the Nordschleife in GT3 machinery — a prospect that has fans and paddock insiders buzzing.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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