Verstappen and Lulham crush Pro-class debut with Nordschleife masterclass
Max Verstappen turned a quiet Eifel Saturday into a show of force, teaming up with Chris Lulham to dominate the ninth round of the NĂĽrburgring Langstrecken-Serie. The four-time World Champion launched the #31 Ferrari 296 GT3 from third on the grid to the lead by Turn 1 and never surrendered it, setting a pace that only the slow zones could interrupt as the pair won their first outing in the Pro class.
The start was pure Verstappen: sizing up the front row, taking a generous tow from the #34 car, then sailing cleanly around the outside to out-brake both leaders into the opening corner. Within minutes he’d put five seconds on the field; by lap three he was lapping traffic and delivering a third tour that was 12 seconds quicker than his qualifying effort. The stopwatch kept leaning his way, too — down to a 7:51.5 later in the stint — as Frank Stippler and the rest faded in the mirrors.
By five laps the advantage was 16 seconds. By the time Verstappen pitted after lap six, still in the car for a double stint, it was 20. And when he finally handed over to Lulham at half-distance, the gap had ballooned to 62 seconds — the kind of cushion that makes an engineer breathe again on the Nordschleife.
All of this on a weekend off from Formula 1, and all of it with the usual twist of theatre you get when Verstappen swaps paddocks. He’d stepped up to the Pro class after a strong four-hour run a fortnight earlier; on Saturday, the upgrade looked overdue.
Lulham’s job over the second half was equal parts pace and preservation. The 22-year-old Brit didn’t just hold the line — he stretched it. Even with yellow flags, slow zones and the Nordschleife’s rolling hazards, Lulham kept the Ferrari neat and urgent, nudging the margin beyond 70 seconds on his opening laps and managing traffic with a cool head. No rattles, no heroics needed, just speed and control to the flag.
If Verstappen’s F1 legend doesn’t need burnishing, drives like this still tell you plenty. The start was opportunistic, the pace was remorseless, and the execution across the four hours — pit windows, tyre life, traffic management — left the rest chasing shadows. It also didn’t hurt that the 296 GT3 looked planted and punchy all afternoon, giving both drivers a platform to exploit.
The crowd at the Eifel got what they came for: Verstappen doing Verstappen things in a different kind of arena, and a young teammate proving why he belongs at the sharp end. The pair won on their first attempt at the Nordschleife’s top class. On this evidence, it won’t be their last.
