Max Verstappen has tasted life in Super GT machinery and enjoyed the experience, but a structural flaw in the Japanese championship’s calendar is preventing the four-time Formula 1 world champion from committing to a full-time programme. The 27-year-old piloted a Nissan Z GT500 car at Fuji Speedway last month during a promotional exercise arranged by Red Bull, marking his second appearance in contemporary Super GT machinery following an earlier outing in a Honda NSX-GT at Motegi in 2022.
A compelling machinery and technical appeal
Verstappen’s verdict on the Super GT machinery was unequivocally positive. Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver praised both the car and the category itself. “It was a lot of fun,” he explained. “Just a shame that it was raining quite a bit, so I couldn’t do that many laps. I would have liked to do more laps. But it’s a fantastic car, a fantastic category in general, and it was a great experience for me to drive that car, and also feel the grip in the wet. It’s quite different to what we have in Europe, just being able to drive so many different cars is always a good thing.”
The wet conditions at Fuji limited his running significantly, yet even in challenging weather, Verstappen found the GT500 machinery remarkably capable. Super GT is widely regarded as the fastest grand touring championship in the world, with current GT500 machines capable of outpacing even the hypercars competing in the World Endurance Championship on a single lap around Fuji.
The championship structure problem
Despite this enthusiasm, Verstappen identified a critical weakness in Super GT’s format. The series lacks a true flagship event that would justify a guest appearance or part-time involvement. “It’s a great category. I wish they had a bit more of a standout one race, instead of just a championship,” Verstappen said. “If that would be the case, it’s easier to commit to one; I cannot do a whole championship and to do one race in a championship sometimes is also not the right thing.”
The 2026 Super GT calendar features eight races across seven venues, but the championship offers limited differentiation between events. Six of the eight races are contested over 300 kilometres—the same distance as a Formula 1 Grand Prix—while two endurance rounds are time-limited to three hours. The Sepang round stands out as the only overseas race, and the Fuji Golden Week event has become the de facto showpiece. However, neither possesses the prestige or international recognition that would attract a world-class driver for a one-off appearance.
When Super GT had a blue-riband event
Super GT once enjoyed a genuinely prestigious marquee race in the Suzuka 1000km. Originally conceived as a standalone event in 1966, the Suzuka endurance classic evolved into a major international fixture, competing within the World Sportscar Championship and FIA GT Championship before becoming a Super GT round in 2006. The endurance format allowed teams to field a third driver, creating opportunities for high-profile guest entries and attracting names like Adrian Sutil and Oliver Jarvis.
The most celebrated Suzuka 1000km entry was Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion. After stepping away from F1 with McLaren, Button joined the Mugen Honda team for the 2017 Suzuka 8 Hours as a third driver. Although he finished 12th in that race, the experience captivated him sufficiently to sign a two-year full-time deal with Honda. Button went on to win the Super GT championship title in 2018 alongside Naoki Yamamoto, adding a GT500 crown to his previous Formula 1 success.
However, this pathway effectively closed in 2018 when the series’ promoter GTA partnered with SRO to launch the Suzuka 10 Hours as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. This new event became Suzuka’s primary endurance fixture, shifting focus away from Super GT. Critically, the GT500 class was excluded entirely from the new format, eliminating any possibility of top-tier factory involvement and removing Super GT’s signature prestige event from the calendar.
Exploring a wildcard solution
One potential avenue exists for Verstappen to make a Super GT appearance without committing to the full championship. Following Sepang’s return to the Super GT calendar in 2025, organisers have explored the concept of a wildcard GT500 entry for 2026. Such a proposition would theoretically allow Verstappen to race at Sepang on 20-21 June, fitting within the narrow window between the Barcelona and Spielberg Formula 1 events.
However, this wildcard concept is primarily designed to develop Malaysian motorsport talent, meaning Verstappen’s involvement would require significant external backing—almost certainly from Red Bull. Additionally, any wildcard programme requires cooperation from one of the three GT500 manufacturers: Honda, Nissan, or Toyota. Nissan represents the most realistic partner, having scaled back its GT500 programme from four to three cars due to financial constraints, and notably supplied the machinery for Verstappen’s Fuji test.
F1 discontent fueling sportscar ambitions
Verstappen’s growing interest in sportscar racing reflects his documented frustration with Formula 1’s current hybrid power units. The Dutchman has increasingly explored opportunities in high-performance sportscar categories, recently competing in the NLS2 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. His comments about Super GT’s format, combined with his stated dislike of F1’s current technical package, suggest his long-term commitment to Formula 1 may depend on regulatory refinement.
Whether Verstappen ultimately races in Super GT remains uncertain. His participation could hinge on his future in Formula 1, the evolution of the sport’s regulations, and Red Bull’s willingness to support a wildcard entry at Sepang.
