Max Verstappen's GT3 debut at the Nürburgring has once again asked the question of whether elite sim racers can move successfully into real-world motorsport. We know the four-time champion is a strong advocate for such a transition, but the recent race at the Green Hell has confirmed that sim racing could indeed be a fully fledged way of gaining a seat in racing.
The Dutchman partnered with British driver Chris Lulham, with the pair winning the NLS9 - the 57th ADAC Barbarossa Prize - in Emil Frey Racing’s No. 31 Ferrari 296 GT3. After Verstappen took the lead ahead of Turn 1 after an excellent race start, he and his team-mate created and maintained a substantial lead over the pack. The pair won by 24.496 seconds, scoring the first Ferrari win in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie since 2017.
