Video: Onboard with Verstappen at Nordschleife in a Ferrari GT3

Above is the video Verstappen's team posted of the Formula 1 world champion's fastest lap at the venue, known as the 'Green Hell' for the challenges it poses to drivers and machines, at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 run by Emil Frey Racing.

Verstappen won on his GT3 race debut, triumphing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the ninth round of the NLS, the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Partnering with Chris Lulham in a Verstappen.com x Red Bull Ferrari 296 GT3, the pair beat a 110-car field to secure a debut victory in the four-hour race.

Verstappen started third but grabbed the lead into the first corner. After fending off traffic and clocking a fastest lap of 7:51.514, he built a lead of over a minute before handing over to Lulham. Despite several yellow-flag interruptions and ‘code 60’ slow zones, the duo kept control and crossed the line ahead of strong competition from Mustang and Aston Martin entries.

“It was great!” said Verstappen after sealing the win. “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 revealed his long-term ambition to tackle the full endurance challenge at the Nordschleife: “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 praised the effort after bringing the car home: “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.”