Max Verstappen quietly ticked off another item on his motorsport to‑do list: he’s now officially cleared to race flat-out around the Nordschleife. The four-time F1 World Champion earned his Nürburgring Permit A last weekend after a low‑key outing in a detuned Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, keeping his nose clean in multi‑class traffic and doing exactly what the officials wanted to see.
No special favors, no shortcuts. Verstappen slotted into the CUP3 field, dealt with all the usual Green Hell chaos — a bit of rain, a bit of dry, faster cars flashing past, slower ones appearing at the wrong moment — and brought it home without drama. “Any lap you drive around there, in any car, is always fun,” he said later. “The atmosphere is really good. It’s kind of my hobby as well, racing in other kinds of motorsport than just F1. My dream is eventually to do the 24-hour race.”
The box is ticked. The question is when he actually uses it.
Permit A puts Verstappen in the frame for top-line events at the Nordschleife, including a GT3 seat for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. He’s already had a taste of that performance, famously sampling a Ferrari 296 GT3 at the Ring back in May and talking up his pace that day. But if you’re pencilling him in for ’Ring glory next year, not so fast — his schedule will be drawn around Red Bull’s 2026 project and the first season of the new F1 regulations.
“For me, it’s very important to be able to do those things [outside F1],” he said. “But how much I can do during an F1 season is tricky. Next year, new regulations — it’s already hard enough in Formula 1. We’ll see how everything goes. It depends on how next season starts with the new rules.”
The tone there is telling. This is a driver who loves racing anything with an engine, but he’s also pragmatic. If Red Bull hits the ground running with its new era, the window opens. If there’s heavy lifting to do back at Milton Keynes, the GT3 helmet may stay on the shelf a little longer.
What was notable about the licensing process was how normal it all was. Verstappen didn’t breeze in waving his F1 credentials; he completed the same exercise as everyone else, with officials tailoring the admin to his experience but keeping the rules intact. “They were super helpful,” he explained. “We talked about how to make it as smooth as possible… It’s not like I’m a total rookie to the track — I’ve done thousands of laps there. But rules are rules, and they were very open‑minded. It worked out well in the end.”
By the time he climbed out on Sunday, he knew he’d done enough. No contact, no yellow‑flag trouble, no black marks. Just the paperwork that unlocks GT3 at the toughest circuit in the world.
As ever, Helmut Marko is in Verstappen’s corner on the endurance side. The Red Bull advisor, a Le Mans class winner back in the day, loves the idea. “Helmut is very excited about it,” Verstappen smiled. “He sees how passionate I am about it. He’s raced in endurance himself, so it’s easier to relate.”
What about going bigger — the Triple Crown big? Verstappen didn’t hesitate. Le Mans, yes; Indy, absolutely not. “I enjoy watching IndyCar. I do not need to drive it myself,” he said. That’s consistent with everything he’s been saying for years: he’s not interested in ovals, period.
So where does that leave us? With Verstappen holding the key to the Nordschleife and waiting to see if the door opens. If Red Bull’s 2026 launch is smooth and the calendar gods smile, don’t be surprised to see the No. 1 swap an RB for a GT3 cockpit on a spring weekend at the Eifel. If F1 demands all of him, the Permit A will just sit in the wallet a little longer — proof that even for a driver at his peak, the Nürburgring remains something you earn, not something you’re given.
