Max Verstappen has added another achievement to his glittering motorsport résumé, winning on his GT3 race debut in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS). Teaming up with Chris Lulham, the 27-year-old Formula 1 star piloted the Verstappen.com x Red Bull-liveried Ferrari 296 GT3, prepared by Emil Frey Racing, to victory in the ninth round of the series on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.

A total of 110 cars took the start of the four-hour race, including ten entries in the premier SP9 category. Starting third on the grid, Verstappen wasted no time charging into the lead on the opening lap, outpacing the #6 Ford Mustang GT3 of Frank Stippler and the pole-sitting #34 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO of Christian Kroges.

Verstappen quickly found his rhythm, navigating traffic and setting his fastest lap of the race at 7:51.514—just two seconds off the NLS lap record. After two commanding stints and building a lead of more than a minute, Verstappen handed the Ferrari over to Lulham.

Despite several incidents and multiple ‘code 60’ slow zones reducing their advantage, Lulham maintained composure in the closing stages. A final pit stop and another yellow-flag period cut the lead to just 24 seconds, but the Englishman controlled the pace to secure the win.

“It was great!” Verstappen said after clinching victory. “During my first two stints, the car was amazing. After qualifying, I knew the car would be good on a dry track. Everything went well in terms of traffic, and we didn’t make any big mistakes. To win my debut race here is amazing.”

The Dutchman also teased future plans: “Of course, we really want to race the 24-hour race here at the Nordschleife. If that’s going to be next year, I don’t know yet. Of course we need more experience, so hopefully we can enter a few more NLS races next year.”

Lulham was equally delighted: “The car was amazing. There was a lot of traffic and several accidents and ‘code 60’ situations, which didn’t make it easy for me. I’m so happy. I’ve got to thank Verstappen.com Racing and Emil Frey Racing for offering me this package to make such a strong NLS debut.”

The victory marks a dream start for Verstappen’s GT racing journey, further solidifying his reputation as one of motorsport’s most versatile and dominant drivers.