- Verstappen beats Super GT star Miyake by 1.8 seconds at Fuji Speedway.
- Two timed laps. One installation lap. A Nissan GT500 he had never driven before.
- Lap record hints at what awaits rivals at next week’s Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Max Verstappen travelled to Japan’s Fuji Speedway and beat a professional Super GT driver’s lap time in a car he had never driven before.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion completed just two timed laps in a Nissan Z NISMO GT500 before finishing 1.8 seconds faster than Atsushi Miyake, winner of the 2024 Fuji 3 Hours.
The session took place in wet conditions, ahead of Verstappen’s debut at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from May 14 to 17.
Miyake set a benchmark of 1:44.075 around the rain-soaked 4.5 km circuit. Verstappen had one installation lap to learn the car and the track before his timed runs began.
He finished his first hot lap within a tenth of Miyake’s time, then clocked 1:42.290 on the next to beat the Japanese driver’s benchmark by nearly 1.8 seconds.
Two laps, one emphatic answer
The Nissan Z NISMO GT500 produces more than 650 horsepower.
It is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive machine weighing just over 1,000 kilograms, and it sits at the top of elite touring car competition globally. The car is a very different prospect from current F1 machinery.
Jeremiah Burton, host of the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube video capturing the challenge, reacted to Verstappen’s first timed lap with disbelief.
“That’s insane,” Burton said. “He’s less than a tenth off in his second lap ever in this car. That’s nuts.”
Verstappen kept his own assessment practical. He said the challenge was about understanding how the car responded to throttle and braking inputs, how the steering felt, and how the tyres behaved on standing water.
“You can’t go straight over the rivers (of water) because the corners don’t let you do that,” he said, according to Red Bull’s official website. “It was a really cool experience. Hopefully, next time it is dry.”
Miyake was candid in his response. He said he had been curious to see how Verstappen would perform in shared machinery, and despite the rain, he came away with a clear read on the Dutchman’s ability.
“I was really excited and had a great time,” Miyake said.
A pattern of versatility beyond Formula 1
The Fuji run fits into a broader pattern of Verstappen testing himself in unfamiliar cars.
Last September, he earned his endurance racing licence, competing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS) in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS.
Two weeks later, he won on his GT3 debut at the Nürburgring Endurance Championship, driving a Ferrari 296 GT3.
Earlier this year, he won a four-hour race at the Nordschleife in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 before being disqualified for exceeding the maximum tyre allocation.
That record across Porsche, Ferrari, Mercedes and Nissan machinery shows a clear pattern. Verstappen adapts to new cars very quickly, and he does it consistently.
He said the volume of different cars he has driven makes the learning process faster each time.
“I love racing, so to try all these kinds of cars is just really special,” Verstappen said, per Red Bull’s official website. “I am really excited to go there [Nürburgring] and experience my first real 24-hour event.”
He also expressed interest in competing in Super GT on a longer-term basis, though he acknowledged the championship format makes it difficult for him to commit.
Speaking at the Japanese Grand Prix, he said a standalone race would suit him better than joining a full season.
“I cannot do a whole championship,” he said. “And to do one race in a championship sometimes is also not the right thing.”
Eyes on the Nürburgring 24 Hours
Everything from the past several months points to one goal: the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring next week.
Verstappen will race under the Verstappen Racing banner in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nordschleife, widely considered the most demanding and dangerous circuit in world motorsport.
The Fuji visit gave him time in an unfamiliar car, in difficult conditions, under competitive pressure.
It is the kind of preparation that mirrors what the Nürburgring demands of any driver, regardless of experience. Verstappen goes into next week having ticked one more unfamiliar box.
