Verstappen returns to the Nordschleife: Watch ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers here!

On Friday, Verstappen returned to the iconic track for test sessions, building up to a weekend that will see both NLS4 and NLS5 races.

The Dutchman is back behind the wheel of his #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 car after watching from the sidelines at the GT World Challenge Europe series last weekend.

Alongside Verstappen across Saturday and Sunday's action is Lucas Auer, the nephew of former Ferrari F1 driver Gerhard Berger.

Verstappen Racing teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon 'sit this one out', as the pair are in Imola for the season-opening round of the World Endurance Championship.

While he may be frustrated with the 2026 F1 cars, Verstappen is getting a lot of enjoyment out of GT racing, having participated in the category more often in recent times.

Last year, Verstappen debuted in the GT4 competition at NLS7, before dominating the 4-hour NLS9 race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in September, alongside sim racing teammate Chris Lulham.

In March 2026, Verstappen returned to the Nordschleife with another victory on the road, impressing with daring overtakes and maneuvering in traffic, despite losing his pole position to Christopher Haase in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 early on.

Unfortunately for the Dutchman, his team were disqualified from the race after tyre infringement. The team, consisting of Verstappen, Jucadella, and Gounon, had used seven sets of tyres instead of the permitted six.

Nonetheless, it is all valuable experience for the four-time F1 world champion, as he's set to compete in the full 24h race on May 14-17, sandwiched in between the Miami and Montreal Grands Prix.