BMW launch cheeky bid to sign F1 champion Max Verstappen after Mercedes success

Max Verstappen

BMW launch cheeky bid to sign Max Verstappen after Mercedes success

Max Verstappen has recently made a sim racing announcement

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 25 March 2026 09:43

Max Verstappen's impressive performance at the Nurburgring Nordschleife last weekend appears to have turned a few heads.

Four-time F1 champion Verstappen and his Verstappen Racing team took a pole position-race victory double on the track in the NLS2 GT race in their No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3.

However, Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon were later stripped of that victory after being disqualified for exceeding the maximum tyre usage.

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Instead, the race victory was handed to the No.99 Rowe Racing BMW duo of Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper, with Verstappen left ruing what might have been.

Just 48 hours after the disappointment, however, Verstappen was announcing some exciting changes to his sim racing exploits, with a name change turning Team Redline into Verstappen Sim Racing, bringing that team closer to the Verstappen Racing brand that we will see competing in the pro class of the GT World Challenge Europe this year.

Verstappen Sim Racing used a BMW M4 GT3 EVO decked out in Verstappen Racing colours for their image when announcing the news, and that led BMW to make a cheeky attempt to sign Verstappen and his team to real-life racing.

"@Max33Verstappen - For sure we can also find you a real BMW M4 GT3 EVO, if you are interested," BMW M Motorsport commented underneath Verstappen's announcement post.

Verstappen hints at 'more serious' racing away from F1

Since the start of 2026, both Verstappen's GT Racing team and his sim racing team have undergone name changes, and they are both much more aligned with the racing superstar's name.

Following Gold Cup success in the GT World Challenge Europe last year, drivers Chris Lulham, Juncadella and Gounon are set to compete in the pro class together in 2026, with Verstappen recently claiming that his team ownership role was becoming 'more serious'.

The team will drive the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in another change to last year, with Gounon one of the greatest GT3 racers of all time, and Aston Martin F1 simulator driver Juncadella having had previous success in the Mercedes GT3 cars.

Lulham is a by-product of the previously named Team Redline sim racing team, and Verstappen recently reiterated his commitment to the belief that sim racing drivers can forge a career for themselves in real-life racing series.

Verstappen himself is taking on more racing adventures outside of F1, with last weekend's NLS2 race a warm up for his 24 Hours of Nurburgring challenge that he is undertaking in May.

READ MORE: BMW make decision on F1 return

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife