Weekend wrap: Verstappen aces the ‘Ring permit, Red Bull talks up a title push, Tombazis cools 400 km/h hype, and Ferrari cops a blast
Max Verstappen didn’t spend his off-weekend on the sofa. He went to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, got his miles in, and left with a shiny new DMSB Permit A. Translation: he can now take on full-fat GT3 machinery at the ‘Ring whenever he fancies.
Sharing a Porsche in the CUP3 class with Chris Lulham, Verstappen logged a tidy seventh in class on his maiden race outing. It wasn’t about the result, though—it never is at the Nordschleife. He ticked every box the officials could throw at him: traffic in both directions, yellow flags of every flavor, “Code 60” slow zones, and weather that did its best Nürburgring impression. Damp, dry, and everything in between.
“I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my permit,” Verstappen said via his official channels afterward. He spoke like a man who’s found a new playground. “I really enjoyed myself… drove stints with traffic, faster and slower cars… wet, dry, mixed conditions. I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t.” The subtext? He’s got a taste for the place. “To contest a 24-hour race here, in a GT3 car, would be amazing.”
That’s one for another day. This week, it’s back to Formula 1, where the four-time World Champion returns to a title fight that’s become more complicated than he’d like. The points picture still favors Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings this deep into the 2025 season, according to the official records, but Red Bull has closed the gap in form—enough that Helmut Marko is in bullish mode.
“Baku is a fast circuit, I’m very optimistic,” Marko said, adding he’s got “high hopes for Singapore,” a rare holdout on Red Bull’s 2025 win list. The veteran advisor went full glass-half-full: “I believe now everything is possible with this period.” The bigger tell? Marko quipped Verstappen has stopped lobbying for extra-curricular drives—“Max is motivated like I haven’t seen him for a long time… now, he’s not even talking about GT!”—which in Red Bull-speak is a healthy sign the main event has his full attention.
On the horizon: 2026, and the speed question. Toto Wolff floated the idea recently that, under certain conditions with the next-gen power units, 400 km/h might not be out of the question. The FIA’s single-seater supremo Nikolas Tombazis poured a large bucket of cold water on that one.
“I can assure you there won’t be speeds of 400 km/h,” Tombazis said in an interview, pointing to the regulatory guardrails built into the new ruleset. “We could intervene if there was anything,” he added, but the FIA doesn’t expect to need to. Consider that a pre-emptive strike before the rumor mill gets carried away.
In Maranello, meanwhile, patience is wearing thin in the most Ferrari way possible. Luca di Montezemolo, the former Ferrari chairman who knows a thing or two about title-winning standards, didn’t mince his words about the Scuderia’s current direction. He lamented what he sees as a “lack of leadership,” and said that even a one-off win in 2025 wouldn’t cut it for a team defined by championships. “Ferrari after so many years must win the World Championship,” he told Italian TV, arguing the team has stoked expectations without delivering. It’s a pointed critique—and not the first time the old guard has called for a harder edge.
One final note to end the weekend with perspective. Roger Hill, Tyrrell’s chief mechanic during Sir Jackie Stewart’s era, was remembered by colleagues and historians as one of the finest to ever hold a spanner in Formula 1. Hill was part of a generation that built titles with feel, ingenuity, and long nights in cramped garages. His passing leaves a quiet but significant gap in the sport’s fabric. If you’ve ever admired the precision of a quick, clean pit stop—or the serene way a car looks when it just works—people like Hill are a big reason why.
So, what did we learn as the paddock packs for another race week? Verstappen’s Nürburgring detour has only sharpened his edge, Red Bull’s confidence is on the rise, the FIA isn’t letting 2026 turn into land-speed-record cosplay, and Ferrari is once again staring at its own reflection. That’s a lot to chew on before the lights go out again.
