Double Verstappen: Jos seals Belgian Rally crown as Max crushes GT3 debut at the Nordschleife
Two very different cars, one very familiar outcome. On a busy Saturday for the Verstappen household, Jos wrapped up the 2025 Belgian Rally Championship while his son — reigning F1 world champion Max — strolled to victory on his GT3 debut at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Max’s switch to endurance machinery looked effortless. Starting third, the Red Bull driver launched into the lead on lap one and promptly disappeared into the Eifel forest, building a cushion of almost a minute before handing over to co-driver Chris Lulham. The pair managed the four-hour grind with the sort of composure we’re used to seeing on Sundays, Lulham bringing it home 24.5 seconds clear.
It’s the latest dot on Verstappen’s expanding endurance map, and it came on the back of a scorching September that’s already included F1 wins in Italy and Azerbaijan. There’s an easy line to draw here: Max’s instinct for race control translates, whatever the cockpit. Different rhythm, same authority.
A few hundred kilometres away, the other Verstappen was ticking off a milestone of his own. Jos, 53, finished third in the East Belgian Rally — enough to put the Belgian title out of reach of nearest rival Cédric Cherain with one round to spare. It’s his first championship success since winning the LMP2 class in the old Le Mans Series back in 2008 and a tidy endorsement of his late-career pivot to rallying.
“This wasn’t the most interesting of rallies as we kept it safe with our tyre choices,” Jos admitted, sounding like a man who’d planned the whole thing to the millimetre. “At the end we did have the right tyres and we were able to be faster, but we took it easy on the final stage. We wanted to secure the championship; that was the main goal today.”
Alongside co-driver Renaud Jamoul, Verstappen Sr has been a consistent force at the front this season, mixing measured pace with just enough aggression to rattle the locals. “You always try to be as prepared as possible and have the right people around you,” he said. “Renaud is, of course, very important in all of this. We enjoy working together and it’s great to fight at the front. The enjoyment is there and the results follow. We are competitive, which also helps us enjoy ourselves.”
If you’ve followed Max’s ascent, you know the family dynamic: Jos, the hard-edged mentor-turned-rally convert; Max, now a fully formed grand prix operator who happens to be curious — and pretty handy — in any race car he tries. That both ended the day with silverware underlines the point: different paths, same competitive DNA.
The timing doesn’t hurt, either. As F1 heads into its final stretch with Verstappen defending his crown for Red Bull, his extracurricular ventures have become more than a hobby. Saturday at the ‘Ring was a reminder that he’s serious about the long game in endurance racing, methodically building experience while staying razor sharp in Formula 1. You don’t win on the Nordschleife by accident, debut or not.
And for Jos, this Belgian title is significant. It’s not a nostalgia play; it’s a bona fide championship in a country that takes rallying seriously. Securing it with a calm, calculated run — not fireworks, just execution — felt fitting.
So yes, the Verstappens did the double. Max conquered the Green Hell on his first go in GT3. Jos claimed a national title with a veteran’s restraint. One family, two victories, and a trophy cabinet that’s going to need stronger shelves.
