Max Verstappen gets his Nordschleife Permit A — then heads home, skipping Sunday running
Max Verstappen went to the Eifel to tick a box, not to grab headlines. Job done. After a compact but busy Saturday in the ADAC Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS7), the Red Bull Racing driver was granted his DMSB Permit Nordschleife Grade A — the green light he needs to race GT3 machinery on the world’s wildest ribbon of tarmac. With the paperwork sorted, Verstappen flew home on Saturday night and won’t be in action on Sunday.
The plan had been neat: split his day between two cars, the #980 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 and the #89 entry, to rack up the mileage required under the DMSB’s tiered permit system. But damage to the #89 during qualifying scuppered the second stint, leaving Verstappen with 14 laps in the GT4 and the possibility he might not meet the letter of the requirement.
Cue a bit of fuss. Verstappen had already passed the classroom element on Friday and secured his Permit B during practice, and he’d spent the race dealing with everything the Nordschleife likes to throw at you: traffic like a rolling chessboard, “Code 60” neutralisations, double-waved yellows, and that classic Eifel party trick — wet, dry and somewhere-in-between, all on the same lap.
“I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my DMSB Permit Nordschleife,” Verstappen said via his website. “I really enjoyed myself, but that’s always the case around here. It was good to drive stints in the race with traffic, both with faster and slower cars. There was also a ‘code 60’ race neutralisation, double waved yellows and a standard yellow flag. I drove in the wet, the dry and in mixed conditions. I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t and completed a start procedure.”
He and teammate Chris Lulham brought the #980 home seventh in the CUP3 class — hardly the headline, but the result wasn’t the point. The exercise was mileage, acclimatisation and getting the sign-off that unlocks GT3. On that front, mission accomplished.
Not everyone was thrilled there was even a question. Ralf Schumacher called it “embarrassing” that the permit might be up for debate, arguing that if others can manage it, the current benchmark in F1 should too. The DMSB held the line: the rules are the rules, but the officials saw enough in Verstappen’s run — the exam, the procedural boxes ticked, the stint work in mixed conditions — to award Permit A.
It’s easy to see why Verstappen wanted this done. The Nordschleife remains a bucket-list itch for just about any driver worth their salt, and GT3 is the modern way to scratch it. “To contest a 24-hour race here, in a GT3 car, would be amazing,” he said. With Permit A in hand, that dream moves from theoretical to possible.
The decision also fits the Verstappen profile we’ve come to expect: an F1 calendar doesn’t leave much breathing room, so when the rare window opens, he tends to use it. This wasn’t a PR day out. It was a methodical, slightly gritty piece of homework on a circuit that still demands respect, where the weather turns on a whim and experience counts every bit as much as speed.
There was no grandstanding, no late dash for Sunday headlines. He got what he came for and left. And in a sport that often confuses showmanship with substance, there’s something delightfully old-school about that.
What changes now? With DMSB Permit A, Verstappen is eligible for GT3 competition on the Nordschleife, including the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Whether and when he slots that into an already loaded schedule is the next question. But if Saturday showed anything, it’s that the box is ticked, the appetite is there, and the groundwork’s been laid.
The Eifel, as ever, gave him a test. Verstappen aced it — then caught an early flight.
