This coming Saturday, Max Verstappen will make his GT3 debut at the iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife. His passion for motorsport extends beyond just Formula 1; at one of his favorite circuits, the Dutchman wants to experience both endurance and GT3 racing. The Red Bull driver thus joins a select group of Formula 1 champions who, in addition to their career in the premier class, also made a name for themselves in GT racing. It’s high time for an overview.
Mika Häkkinen became the world champion in Formula 1 in 1998 and 1999. He outperformed competitors such as Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. The ‘Flying Finn’ retired from the premier class in 2001, but his passion for racing remained. Häkkinen participated in several GT3 races, including the 10-hour Suzuka race in 2019 with a McLaren 720S GT3. Earlier, he had driven the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 during the ILMC finale in 2011 in Zhuhai. He returned to the same circuit in 2013, where he even claimed a victory in the GT Asia championship.
Former champion Jacques Villeneuve embarked on a diverse range of motorsport projects after his Formula 1 career. In 2009, he started the 24-hour Spa race, although his Mosler – with well-known Viaplay analyst Ho-Pin Tung as a teammate – did not finish. In 2012, he appeared at the Baku City Challenge with a BMW Z3 GT3 and finished sixth. In addition, he raced several times in national GT championships with Ferrari, where he even secured two podium finishes in 2019 alongside Giancarlo Fisichella – another Formula 1 alumnus – and Stefano Gai.
GT Ferrari’s
British racer Nigel Mansell once made a one-off foray into GT racing. During the Silverstone race of the 2007 FIA GT championship, he competed in a Ferrari 430 GTC – the predecessor of the Ferrari 296 GT3 with which Verstappen will tackle the Nordschleife. He shared the cockpit with Chris Niarchos. The duo finished just one lap behind the winners in the GT2 class.
In 2014, Emerson Fittipaldi promoted the WEC race at Interlagos, where he also participated in a Ferrari 458 GTE with Jeff Segal and later GT champion Alessandro Pier Guidi. In 2008, ‘Emmo’ had already competed in the Brazilian GT championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, alongside his brother Wilson Fittipaldi.
Following in his Father-in-law’s Footsteps
Of all the great champions, Nelson Piquet – who is also Max Verstappen‘s father-in-law – has perhaps been the most successful in GT3. Immediately after his Formula 1 career, he joined the McLaren F1 program of BMW. In 1996, he finished fourth at Silverstone and eighth at Le Mans, although he crossed the finish line first three times in his home country of Brazil. In 2006, he returned to action, this time behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DBR9. Piquet also stood on the podium multiple times at the infamous 24 Hours of Spa in the nineties.
Alain Prost, like Verstappen a four-time world champion, also once ventured into GT3. In 2005, he nearly completed a full season in the French FFSA GT championship with a Chrysler Viper GTS-R. Along with Jean-Pierre Jabouille, he even won a race and achieved multiple podium finishes. Later, his son Nicolas also joined. Prost missed out on a second victory due to traffic in the final stages of a race at Le Mans.
