Max Verstappen finished his first endurance race at the Norschleife Nürburgring in 27th place. The driver shared the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, number 980, with British driver Chris Lulham. In his own CUP3 class, the driver came in seventh. Verstappen drove the detuned GT4 car for the first two hours of the total four-hour race, allowing him to complete the required fourteen laps on the Nordschleife. There was some question as to whether this would be enough for his A-license. The second car Verstappen was supposed to drive, the #89 Porsche, was unable to start for a long time due to technical problems.
Max Verstappen started in car #980 in the second starting group of the race. The Dutchman drove cautiously through the opening corners, staying off the ideal racing line. Verstappen’s goal during his debut weekend on the Nordschleife was to obtain his A-license, which the Dutchman could achieve by driving fourteen laps in two different race cars. Verstappen already had his B-license after spending his Friday in the classroom prior to the NLS race weekend.
Despite the fact that Verstappen was in a detuned GT4 car – with 125 hp less than the cars of the experienced drivers – he managed to pull away from the drivers in his own class by a minute in the first hour. Even a minor brake issue couldn’t prevent the world champion from completing his mandatory fourteen laps. After just over two hours behind the wheel, and with the fourteen laps on the counter, Verstappen handed the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 over to his teammate Chris Lulham. By then, the Dutchman had already set a fastest lap of 9:01.410. He was already about five minutes ahead of the second detuned car in his class.
The race was won by drivers Julien Andlauer and Joel Sturm in the Porsche 911 GT3 R.
A-license?
The question remained until the end of the four-hour race whether Verstappen could still obtain his A-license on Saturday. The second car the world champion was supposed to drive, the #89 Porsche, was unable to hit the track for a long time due to technical problems. Immediately after the race, news came that the car was able to leave the pit lane. This means Verstappen can apply for his A-license.
