Max Verstappen may have quietly rewritten the Nürburgring Nordschleife record books during a covert GT3 test last week, according to Red Bull’s Helmut Marko.
The Dutch four-time world champion reportedly tackled the fearsome 20.8km circuit under the alias “Franz Hermann,” in a bid to keep the outing off the radar. While no official time has been published, Nordschleife insider Misha Charoudin has suggested that Verstappen may have set a new GT3 lap record, fuelling intense speculation across the motorsport world.
Marko, speaking to Kronen Zeitung, confirmed the story. “GT racing is one of Max’s true passions,” he said. “He called me after the run and told me he’d beaten the record by two seconds — and that was after just three laps. He knew all the lap times, every suspension detail… He was more animated talking about that car than he ever is about his Formula 1 one.”
While Verstappen has never raced at the Nordschleife in a professional capacity, he’s spent years mastering the track through sim racing — a hobby that’s increasingly become a second motorsport career for the Red Bull driver. Marko added that Verstappen intends to continue investing in the virtual space as a training and development platform for young drivers.
“Max is pushing hard in sim racing. He has his own team and now wants to put one of his best sim racers in a real GT car,” said Marko. “It’s a brilliant way to promote young talent without the financial burden of karting. A year of karting today can cost €250,000. High-end sim racing gear? Maybe €30,000 to €50,000. Max is even involved in developing the simulation software now used by F2 and F3 teams.”
As for the Nürburgring time itself, the motorsport world now awaits confirmation — but if the whispers are true, Verstappen’s quiet detour into GT racing could become part of Nordschleife legend.