F1 champion Max Verstappen given driving lessons

Max Verstappen

F1 champion Max Verstappen given driving lessons

Max Verstappen is racing at the Nurburgring this weekend

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Saturday 13 September 2025 10:42

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Max Verstappen is a four-time world champion, already a Formula 1 legend and - let's face it - the best driver in the world.

Yet even the Dutchman has moments where he needs those pesky L-plates, as he prepares to take on the legendary Nurburgring circuit this weekend as part of the NLS series.

Common sense is not the order of the day here, as the 27-year-old was treated like a rookie by having to take driving lessons by following a racing instructor around eight laps of the 170 turn 15.770 miles circuit and be shown the racing lines on Friday.

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For those of you unfamiliar with the track known as the 'Green Hell' due to its extreme difficulty and danger - it would probably take an F1 car well over five minutes to complete a lap.

Yet, even though this version of the Nurburgring hasn't seen an F1 championship since the mid 1970s, Verstappen is still likely to know his way around the track given his passion for sim racing where learning the many ins and outs can quickly be picked up. Even this layman of an author knows his way round (staying on the track is a different matter.)

So how much did Verstappen learn? Probably not a lot but we will know for sure if he will have the race craft to tackle the track and his rivals when he competes for Lionspeed in a detuned Porsche on Saturday.

When will Verstappen race at the Nurburgring?

Verstappen's adventure in Germany this weekend sees him take a small break away from F1 having secured a tremendous victory at the Italian Grand Prix last time out.

It was the Red Bull driver's third win of the season and despite it keeping his slim title hopes alive, it still isn't enough to convince those jobsworths at the Nurburgring that Verstappen can probably skip driving tutorials.

I mean imagine waking up and being told your job for the day was teaching Verstappen how to drive round a racetrack? It's like giving David Beckham a tutorial on how to take a free-kick. Pure madness.

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