Max Verstappen’s Ring homework is done. Permit A in his pocket, laps under his belt, and a grin that said “what’s next?” The answer, according to Helmut Marko, is simple: the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
After a low-key but laser-focused outing in last weekend’s Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie round, Verstappen left the Nordschleife with the all-important DMSB Permit A — the gateway to the 24-hour classic. The four-time Formula 1 World Champion teamed up with Chris Lulham in a power-restricted Porsche 718 Cayman, kept his nose clean through traffic, and did the job: P1 in his CUP3(G) category, seventh among CUP3 entries, and 14 race laps signed off. Box ticked.
The subtext wasn’t subtle. This wasn’t an indulgent track day. It was a targeted audition for the Green Hell’s biggest show — and Marko made it sound like the date is already circled. “I’m sure he’ll compete – and he’ll be in contention for the overall victory,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor told RTL, praising Verstappen’s appetite for extra mileage despite a packed F1 schedule of simulator work, marketing and media.
That’s notable because teams usually slam the door on extracurriculars. Endurance racing is busy, chaotic, and unforgiving, and if you’re fighting for a world title, the last thing any team wants is risk. Yet here’s Red Bull, not just allowing Verstappen to chase the Nordschleife, but cheering him towards the front. “It’s great that a Formula 1 driver… is still taking the time for something like this with such enthusiasm,” Marko said, adding that the Ring “fascinates every racer.”
Verstappen wasn’t waved through the system. No special stamps, no shortcuts. He did the classroom work on Friday, then knuckled down in a modestly powered car on Saturday to earn it the proper way. Some thought that was beneath him — Ralf Schumacher called the lack of dispensation “embarrassing” — but Verstappen just got on with it. As Marko put it: “It’s unique that a four-time world champion has to prove that he can drive a 240-horsepower Porsche around the Ring. But he took it all on, even though he’s probably already done 1,000 laps in the simulator.”
This has been brewing. Verstappen’s been open about ticking off the big endurance boxes — Daytona, Spa, Le Mans — but the Nordschleife scratches a different itch. He even sampled a Ferrari GT3 car around the Ring earlier this year, and with next May’s 24 Hours scheduled on a non-F1 weekend, the door is cracked wide open. Don’t be surprised if he walks through it in full factory GT3 trim.
Le Mans, though? Off-limits, at least for now. “Le Mans is a different story,” Marko cautioned. “The speed differences and the different categories are even greater there. Long distance only at the Nürburgring!” That line says a lot about the calculus going on behind the scenes at Red Bull. The Nordschleife’s chaos is one thing; the multi-class, LMP-hypercar mêlée of the Sarthe is another.
What’s most interesting is how natural this all feels for Verstappen. At a time when many F1 drivers are sealed in corporate cotton wool, he keeps finding old-school racing challenges and treating them like part of a normal week. Marko hinted this passion threaded through even the leaner phases of Red Bull’s F1 form. “At a time when our car was not competitive, it was his great passion. Now both are working.”
In the current F1 landscape, Verstappen’s pursuit of the Ring sits somewhere between a passion project and a mission statement. He’s a four-time World Champion with Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT in 2025, and yet the lure of the world’s wildest circuit still cuts through the noise. The Ring makes lifers out of drivers. Verstappen looks like one of them.
So if you’re marking up next year’s calendars, pencil in May. The paperwork is done. The laps are logged. And the man who treats pressure like oxygen is already being tipped to go not just for an appearance, but for the win. On the Nordschleife, no less.
We’ve seen Verstappen at his most ruthless in Formula 1. The thought of that mindset let loose for 24 hours on the Green Hell? That’s a different kind of theatre. And it’s getting closer.
