BMW tease move for Max Verstappen after standout display

Verstappen pole in NLS2 — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

BMW tease move for Max Verstappen after standout display

Max Verstappen has recently made a sim racing announcement

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 25 March 2026 19:00

Max Verstappen’s standout showing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife last weekend has not gone unnoticed, drawing attention from across the motorsport world.

The four-time world champion, racing with Verstappen Racing, secured both pole position and victory in the NLS2 behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

However, the result was later overturned, with Verstappen and team-mates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon disqualified after exceeding the permitted tyre usage limits.

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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 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.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife