Max Verstappen was back to his dominating best after winning the Italian GP comfortably. The Dutchman beat McLaren’s Lando Norris by nearly 20 seconds, the biggest winning margin of the year. As Red Bull prepares for the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, the four-time world champion has other ideas.
Verstappen is planning to compete at the Nürburgring Nordschleife next weekend, before preparing for Baku. The Dutch driver has often expressed interest in racing in other categories, and this will be his first time competing in them.
Max Verstappen is planning to race at Nürburgring Nordschleife after winning in Monza
According to AMuS, the reigning F1 Champion is planning to travel to Eifel and compete in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Although this would be his first time competing at the track in the series, it is not the first time he has driven there.
Verstappen, under the name ‘Franz Hermann’, drove a Ferrari 296 GT3 around the track last May to acclimatise to the circuit. The Dutchman revealed that he had broken the lap record and enjoyed the test.
Having fun at the Nordschleife 🙌 https://t.co/46lRXQtA7q Racing 👀 pic.twitter.com/vPC2BKmDo1
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 9, 2025
Speaking to the media in Imola, Verstappen had revealed, “I was just having fun and learning the track. It was a very good day, we got lucky with the weather as well – it was nice and sunny. It was fantastic.”
According to AMuS, Verstappen would need to complete a driver training course on the Friday before the race. After completing the course, he won’t be allowed to drive the Ferrari 296, but he will have to use a less powerful car. AMuS also claims that Verstappen has another GT3 race planned the weekend after the Azerbaijan GP.
Max Verstappen wants to drive in other series after F1
Max has openly admitted that he wants to try other series other than F1 in his racing career. Taking on the Talking Bull podcast in 2023, Verstappen said he would want to try endurance racing.
The four-time world champion explained: “Once you’ve done so many years in F1, you don’t want to do this forever, right? You can’t, unfortunately. And that’s also a very different way of approaching it. You’re sharing the car with other drivers as well, so it’s quite a different kind of approach.
“It’s a bit of a different experience, it’s not like a one-and-a-half-hour, two-hour sprint racing. It’s proper endurance, so the whole mentality and mindset is different.”
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With Max Verstappen voicing concerns over the new 2026 regulations, his first endurance race could be a concern for Red Bull. If, during the 2026 season, Verstappen is dissatisfied with the car’s performance and dislikes the new regulations, he may consider leaving the sport. With every other driver struggling to drive Red Bull’s second seat, this could be a disaster for the Milton Keynes-based team.
Verstappen has nothing left to prove in F1 and might be seeking a new challenge in another series. But will he see out his contract until 2028? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
