Max Verstappen’s “weekend off” looks suspiciously like a school day.
While most of the grid grabs a breather in a 24-race season, the four-time World Champion is due at the Nürburgring — not just to drive, but to sit an exam. Bureaucracy before brutality: he needs a DMSB permit to race on the Nordschleife, and that starts with a written test on Friday.
That’s why his name didn’t show on the entry list. Verstappen is expected to share a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS with Lionspeed, but until he passes the theory and has the paperwork in hand, he can’t be officially added. The Lionspeed crew currently lists Matisse Lismont, Christopher Lulham and Kyle Tilley; Verstappen’s omission is red tape, not retreat.
There’s another twist. Unlike his cheeky cameo five months ago under the alias “Franz Hermann,” this one has to be done under his own name. If he wants the Nordschleife licence, he has to earn it as Max Verstappen — no alter egos allowed.
So what’s the process? First comes the classroom. The DMSB’s Category B permit is the gateway to GT4 machinery on the ‘Ring, and the test covers local procedures — yellow flags, Code 60 and Code 120 zones, and the labyrinth of safety rules that make the Green Hell run like clockwork. It’s harder to bluff than it sounds. Sky’s David Croft called the system “actually quite confusing,” and he’s not wrong: miss a detail and your weekend’s suddenly very short.
Pass the exam and Saturday opens up in the Cayman. Then results matter. As explained on Sky’s F1 Show, two solid race results usually unlock the upgrade, though a panel can fast-track you after one if you look fully at home. Get that nod, and Verstappen could jump into a Ferrari 296 GT3 on Sunday. Big step, bigger grin. But first, the quiz.
If you’re wondering why a driver who spends his life at 300 km/h is doing this while rivals reset, Nico Rosberg summed it up succinctly: this is Max. Most drivers go home and decompress; Verstappen goes to a classroom to qualify for more racing and then tries to win that too. Rosberg thinks the whole world will be watching. He’s probably right.
It fits the pattern. When Verstappen isn’t in the RB, he’s on a sim — frequently, relentlessly — or hunting laptime in anything with a roll cage. The Nordschleife has become his latest playground and obsession. The talk of lap records is already swirling; whether or not that’s on the cards this weekend, the intention is clear.
And don’t mistake the entry-list confusion for hesitation. This is a paperwork story. Once the DMSB boxes are ticked, expect Verstappen’s name to appear, his helmet to go on, and the Porsche’s out-lap to be brisk. He can only race if he passes, sure. But if there’s a driver you’d back to learn the local yellow-flag code and then immediately use it to his advantage, it’s the guy who reads races at warp speed.
It’s a nice reminder, too, of what makes the Nürburgring different. Formula 1 might be the sharp end of the sport, but on the Nordschleife the law of the land applies to everyone — even a four-time World Champion. You earn your place. You start with a test.
If all goes to plan, Saturday’s Cayman run should be the appetiser. If the panel likes what it sees, Sunday’s Ferrari could be the main course. Either way, fans trekking to the Eifel for a glimpse of Verstappen shouldn’t panic about the paperwork. The real hurdle this weekend isn’t 170 corners. It’s a pen, a form, and a very German set of rules. Then the fun starts.
