Max Verstappen passed by seven cars before first corner in Nürburgring GT debut

Max Verstappen was overtaken by seven cars before the first corner in his GT racing debut at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on Saturday, a shortfall team officials and observers attributed to a deliberately detuned car and a limited driving permit rather than driver error.

Competing in the ADAC N�fcrburgring Langstrecken-Serie rounds seven and eight, the three-time Formula One world champion was behind the wheel of a Red Bull-customised Porsche Cayman GT4 that had been restricted to comply with a B permit. The detuning reduced the car's available power and added weight compared with the GT4 field, leaving Verstappen vulnerable on the run to the first turn as other cars passed on either side.

Organisers require drivers who have not yet been granted the full Nordschleife licence to compete in downrated machinery. Motorsport commentary and social-media posts noted figures suggesting the car ran about 130 horsepower down and carried roughly 150 kilograms of additional ballast compared with rivals, a combination that dramatically affected straight-line speed and acceleration.

Former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher criticised the decision to withhold the full permit, calling it "embarrassing" in remarks to Motorsport-Total and arguing that Verstappen's presence would attract positive attention to the Nordschleife. "Of course I would have given him that immediately, or he would have been given a briefing about the Nordschleife and the specific things," Schumacher said. "The best driver in the world will be able to do it if the others can do it, I'm pretty sure of that."

Despite the early losses on the opening lap, Verstappen recovered pace during the race. He produced a lap time that was 15.376 seconds off the class-leading pace, ultimately finishing sixth in his class and 27th overall in the combined field.

Under the licence rules in place at the event, Verstappen must complete 14 incident-free laps in the GT4 car to qualify for an upgraded permit that would allow him to race under less restrictive conditions at the Nordschleife in future events. Officials have been strict about permit progression at the circuit because of the track's length, varied corners and high-speed sections.

The GT appearance came a week after Verstappen's dominant victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he beat McLaren's Lando Norris by more than 19 seconds. Verstappen is scheduled to return to Formula One action at next weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He currently sits third in the Drivers' Championship, 63 points behind Norris and 94 points adrift of leader Oscar Piastri.

Event organisers and team representatives have said the restrictions are standard procedure for drivers without the full Nordschleife licence and are intended to manage safety. Verstappen's participation in the ADAC race was brief and part of his programme during a gap in his Formula One schedule; his performance in the prefix-limited car and the requirement to complete clean laps were described by several observers as routine steps in granting a full Nordschleife licence.

Race officials have not indicated any change to the permit protocol following the weekend's event. Verstappen's next competitive commitments are expected to determine whether he secures the required incident-free laps and the upgraded permit for future Nürburgring appearances.