Verstappen dubbed ‘probably best we’ve ever seen’ by F1 rival after Nurburgring outing

Michelle Foster 20 Sep 2025 6:45 AM

Qualifying for a Permit A for the Nordschleife, as people who are “just passionate about racing cars”, Max Verstappen’s F1 rivals are in awe of his exploits as the legendary ‘Green Hell’.

F1 rookie Oliver Bearman hopes that one day he too will be free to explore his racing passions outside of Formula 1.

Max Verstappen is ‘the best driver that we’ve ever seen’

While Verstappen’s Formula 1 rivals appreciated a weekend off between Monza and Baku, the reigning World Champion was in action at the Nürburgring to secure his Permit A to be allowed to race a GT3 car at the circuit.

The Dutchman not only had to pass a written exam and a driving test on the Friday, the requirements for a Permit B, but once that was in hand, he got behind the wheel of a Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 CS in the four-hour ADAC ACAS Cup to obtain his Permit A.

Completing 14 laps in the #980 entry, Verstappen was expected to hop into a second car, the #89, to gain the necessary mileage, but he wasn’t able to as the car had been damaged in qualifying.

After a bit of deliberation, officials granted him a Permit A that will allow him to compete in a GT3 car at the ‘Green Hell’, including racing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Haas rookie Bearman is in awe of what Verstappen is doing in racing outside of Formula 1.

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“I hope I’m at the stage one day in my career where I can do like Max and just drive whatever he wants and do it for pure passion,” Bearman said.

“Of course, I’m not at that stage yet, but it’s so impressive to see what he’s able to do, and shows how talented he is as a driver. It’s insane.

“I think he’s the best driver that we’ve ever seen, probably, and the fact he’s able to rock up to the Nordschleife and, I didn’t follow it properly, but I saw some articles and stuff. But it’s so cool.

“It’s for a group of us guys who are all just passionate about racing cars, that’s cool to see.”

Alas for Bearman, that’s a definite no from his team principal Ayao Komatsu

“Max is Max,” Komatsu told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets earlier this year after Verstappen’s first outing in a GT3 car at the Nordschleife.

Pressed on whether his drivers would be given permission to do a similar test, Komatsu replied: “No.”

“Step by step,” he continued. “Max is a multiple World Champion, right?

“Ollie is a rookie. Even Esteban [Ocon], he’s got still lots to prove. He’s focused. What’s the benefit of them racing in another race?

“I think they have fun driving an F1 car. I think they’re pretty lucky that they’re driving an F1 car for their job. That’s lots of fun, I think.”

Bearman, though, has had a brief taste of the Nürburgring circuit but alas was in the passenger seat with his father driving the family Audi Q7 SUV and his mum screaming in the back.

“I did one lap with my dad when I was racing at the GP circuit in German F4,” he revealed. “It was during Covid, so we had our family SUV driven from the UK. Audi Q7. I was like 15, so I couldn’t drive, so basically I was the co-driver.

“And so we, you can buy one or three, I think, so we bought three laps. We did one with my mom in the back, and I had to go in the front to tell my dad what corner was coming next, because I knew the track, and he didn’t.

“So I was like, ‘this one’s flat, this one’s a lift, or whatever’, with this Audi Q7. Big, big SUV.

“Then after that, my mom got out because she was screaming the entire lap. So on lap two, we went again and went a little bit quicker, but then at the end of the lap, we stopped, and the brake fluid was coming out of the callipers. That wasn’t great, so we decided not to do the final lap because we needed that car for the school run the next day.”

Bearman wasn’t the only F1 rival impressed by Verstappen’s exploits, with Alex Albon revealing he flew to Baku with the Dutchman and had the opportunity to speak with him about his Nurburgring run.

“I was on the plane with him here so we had a good chat about it,” said the Williams driver. “He loves his GT racing. I would say he definitely enjoys it more than I do.

“He’s a guy who just loves racing, and it’s fun to just talk to him about it, because it’s a clear passion of his.

“I think it’s partly what separates him to everyone else. He just can’t stop driving. So good for him.

“I think he’s, I can’t say too much, but it looked like he was invested in it. That’s for sure.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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