MAX VERSTAPPEN will swap his Red Bull for a Ferrari this weekend as he makes his Nurburgring Endurance Series official debut.
This comes two weeks after the Dutchman raced in the NLS to obtain a special licence which allows him to compete in GT3s at the treacherous Nurburgring – also known as ‘Green Hell’.
Max Verstappen is set to make his Nurburgring Endurance Series official debut this weekend[/caption]
Verstappen will be licking his lips at the prospect of challenging for the overall victory this weekend having obtained his license.
The four-time F1 world champion will share an Emil Frey Ferrari 296 with Chris Lulham for the four-hour race on Saturday.
Verstappen spoke to SunSport about dipping his toes into other motorsports back in June, with his dream being to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
His extra-curricular activities are not doing any damage with him soaring to victory at a menacing Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed in Baku that the team have already permitted Verstappen to race this weekend, as it again does not clash with an F1 Grand Prix.
Verstappen said: “It is my passion to do these kinds of GT3 races too – I can’t wait,
“I’m passionate about racing, also outside of Formula 1. Every lap at the Nordschleife is a different kind of experience.
“The atmosphere is also really good and there are a lot of endurance fans present.
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“It’s my hobby to race in other categories than Formula 1. My dream is to eventually participate in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
“The Nordschleife is at the top of my list of tracks I want to race on, as it’s extremely challenging and demanding, with its enormous length and tight historic layout.”
The Nurburgring is one of the most dangerous tracks in the world of motorsport, claiming the lives of 69 drivers across different formats.
Despite updates to try and modernise the circuit to minimise the risk to drivers, 12 have still been killed since 1998.
Motorsport fans were left scratching their heads in May when an unknown driver called Hermann set a blistering track record on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
It turned out it was none other than four-time world champion Verstappen, who was testing the waters in a Ferrari 296 GT3.
The Dutchman, 27, went incognito to avoid fans noticing him and he chose the name as he wanted to “make it really German”.
Sadly Hermann had to retire as Verstappen had to race under his real name to obtain a Grade A Permit for the Nordschleife.
