Max Verstappen returns to GT3 with Mercedes 3 months after Nurburgring win

Max Verstappen has returned to GT3 racing just over a week after nearly missing out on winning his fifth consecutive F1 drivers' championship in Abu Dhabi. The Red Bull driver had officially competed in his first GT3 race this year at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Though many of the series regulars were absent, Verstappen impressed the paddock with his sensational pace in the Red Bull-liveried Ferrari 296 GT3 in Round 9 of the NLS. The debutant teamed up with Verstappen.com driver Chris Lulham to compete in the four-hour race and qualified in P3 on debut.

The Dutchman's race pace was even better as he secured the race lead before Turn 1 on the opening lap. He then extended the gap to the rest of the pack by over 1 minute by the end of his stint, before Lulham swapped in and brought home a resounding victory.

On Tuesday, December 16, nearly three months after his NLS GT3 win on debut, Max Verstappen traveled to Portugal to test a Mercedes-AMG GT3. As per Endurance-Info, he was at the Estoril Circuit with 2 Seas Motorsport, the team that was in charge of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO/Verstappen.com entry in GT World Challenge Europe (Endurance) this year.

There were two Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars at the track, and official Mercedes-AMG driver Jules Gounon was present to guide the four-time F1 champ. The cars carried the numbers 33, Verstappen's F1 number, and 333.

A short clip from the Dutchman's test at Estoril in rainy conditions emerged on social media, which you can view in the post below:

Max Verstappen happened to be in Portugal on the same day F1 announced it would return to the Algarve International Circuit near Portimao for the Portuguese GP on a two-year deal for 2027 and 2028.

Max Verstappen planning to expand his GT3 calendar in 2026 to near Nurburgring 24 Hours debut

Max Verstappen racing at the NLS9 - 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen's GT3 journey picked up pace in May this year, when he used the pseudonym Franz Hermann to test a Ferrari 296 GT3 at the Nurburgring. The test with Emil Frey Racing turned out to be a stepping stone towards racing for the team in Round 9 of the NLS in late September.

After his win on debut at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, which Verstappen described as "amazing," the 28-year-old opened up about potentially competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2026.

"Of course, we really want to race the 24-hour race, here at the Nordschleife," the Red Bull driver said via F1. "If that’s going to be next year, I don’t know yet. We need more experience, so hopefully we can enter a few more NLS races next year."

Max Verstappen's F1 season came to an end on a bittersweet note. Though he won the season finale in Abu Dhabi, which was his eighth victory of the season, he lost the championship to McLaren's Lando Norris by only two points.

Edited by Yash Kotak