Green Hell tamed: Verstappen shames rivals in wet NLS qualifying

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As sheets of Eifel rain hammered the Nordschleife's unforgiving ribbon, four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen transformed the "Green Hell" into his personal proving ground on Saturday morning.

Strapped into the cockpit of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, the 27-year-old Red Bull ace sliced through qualifying for round seven of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) – the 65th ADAC ACAS Cup – posting a best lap of 10:21.591 to snag sixth in the CUP3 class.

Just a week after dominating the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen jetted north, trading F1's hybrid fury for the Porsche's mid-engine poise in the #980 Lionspeed GP entry, decked in his signature Verstappen.com Racing blue.

The 8:30 a.m. session, a 90-minute wet-weather duel across the 25.3-kilometer layout – fusing the Grand Prix circuit's precision with the Nordschleife's 170-turn terror – tested dozens of GT3 and GT4 contenders.

Verstappen, fresh off his Friday's mandatory "driving test" (a theory exam and two instructor-led laps earning his DMSB B Permit), wasn't gunning for glory. This double-header weekend – four-hour races Saturday and Sunday – is his license grind: two classified finishes totaling 14 laps for the A Permit upgrade, unlocking dreams like the 2026 ADAC RAVENOL 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

©Verstappen.com

Regulations leveled the field in CUP3 for novices like him: the Cayman, normally a 425-bhp beast, dialed back to 300 bhp for equity. Verstappen's opening gambit? A probing 10:34.244.

By session's close, he'd hacked 13 seconds off, trailing class pole by 15.3 seconds but humiliating the CUP3(G) amateurs by 68.4 seconds – a testament to his F1-honed instincts amid aquaplaning crests at Flugplatz and the Karussell's banking.

License Quest: From Sim Dreams to Endurance Reality

Teaming with Lionspeed's Matisse Lismont, Chris Lulham, and Kyle Tilley – podium finishers in July's GT World Challenge Europe at the Ring – Verstappen will tag-team two Caymans, logging 20% of each race's distance per car to tally his quota.

"Racing is my hobby too," he posted pre-weekend. "This is to qualify for the GT3 permit—I'd love that."

You can follow the action from the Nürburgring all weekend on YouTube.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.