New licensing rules are significantly simplifying access to racing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. From December 2025, the mandatory DMSB license will include optional sim racing elements, allowing drivers to obtain the necessary paperwork more quickly. The changes may follow the notable Nordschleife debut of Max Verstappen and his teammate Chris Lulham in September.
The DMSB Nordschleife license remains mandatory for anyone wishing to participate in the ADAC Nürburgring Long Distance Series (NLS) or the ADAC 24 hours of the Nürburgring. Verstappen successfully competed at the end of September with his own Verstappen.com Racing, but had to complete a full DPN driver training, including a theory exam, practice laps, and a trial race in a softly tuned Porsche GT4. The German authorities have now decided to make the route to the coveted DPN Level B license shorter and more flexible.
Verstappen Makes Nordschleife More Accessible?
Inspired by the strong performance of Verstappen and Lulham – who immediately won at their NLS debut – drivers can now partially complete their license process online. Sim racing performances will count towards obtaining the B license. Drivers with an international license of at least class D can obtain the document by participating in at least one round of the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring championship (RCN) and one season of the Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series in iRacing. However, three out of the four sim races must be completed without incident.
In addition, the physical RCN tests, the DPN training, and the e-learning module remain mandatory. According to current requirements, drivers still need to drive at least fifteen laps in a solo event or participate in two RCN races. The requirements for the DPN Level A license, needed for GT3 cars, have also been relaxed: one penalty-free race and at least eight completed laps are now sufficient.
It is expected that the shorter processing time for both A and B licenses will make the field of participants on the Nordschleife more attractive and diverse. The organization also hopes that more top drivers will find their way to ‘the Ring’. For sim racers, the new rules mainly offer additional opportunities: by embracing the digital racing world, a broader group of talents gets the opportunity to break through.
