F1 drivers who raced on weekends off — as Max Verstappen joins exclusive group

Some drivers will spend this weekend unwinding from the recent F1 double-header and others may brave the weather at the Goodwood Revival, but Max Verstappen will be back behind the wheel of a racing car, very much not taking it easy at one of motor sport’s most fearsome circuits.

The four-time world champion made headlines earlier this year when he showed up to the Nordschleife under the pseudonym of ‘Franz Hermann’, lapping in a Verstappen.com-branded Ferrari 296 GT3 and broke the GT3 track record during an official test for the Nürburgring Endurance Series.

This weekend Verstappen is back, and using his real name to compete in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) round on Saturday September 13. First he’ll need to pass the necessary theories and tests, but once he’s been given the green light, it’s been reported he’ll be driving a Porsche Cayman GT4 from Lionspeed GP around the Green Hell in Germany.

Red Bull has allowed Verstappen this opportunity, and there is speculation he’ll be back for another NLS race weekend following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Having fun at the Nordschleife 🙌 https://t.co/46lRXQtA7q Racing 👀 pic.twitter.com/vPC2BKmDo1

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 9, 2025

It’s a very rare example of a modern Formula 1 driver being granted freedom to race elsewhere, especially during the middle of a season. Grand prix drivers are normally forbidden from certain extracurricular activities through their contracts, whether that be racing in other series or seeking an adrenaline rush that ranges from skydiving to snowboarding.

It’s racing’s loss because, as the five examples below show, the results can be spectacular when drivers follow in the tyre tracks of their predecessors and get permission to race in other categories mid-way through an F1 season.

Nico Hülkenberg

It’s been a decade since Nico Hülkenberg showed up as a rookie to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and then won the thing. Driving for Porsche in a works team with Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, Hülkenberg’s one and only attempt at the endurance race was a huge success and gave Porsche its first outright Le Mans victory since 1998.

Driving for Force India during the 2015 F1 season, Hülkenberg was clear that there was no conflict of interest between Porsche and the independent team, and thanked former team owner Vijay Mallya for “making it possible”.

The Le Mans result remained the most recent podium of his racing career until his incredible third-place finish at the 2025 British Grand Prix for Sauber.

Fernando Alonso

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso knew he wouldn’t be missing out on much by skipping the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to race at that year’s Indy 500, which took place on the same day.

His Honda-powered McLaren F1 car rarely had enough pace or reliability for points finishes, let alone the podium, meaning that his best chance of success in 2017 came in an IndyCar.

His was again in a Honda-powered car, entered by McLaren under the Andretti Autosport umbrella, and there were high hopes, given that Andretti had won the event the year prior with Alexander Rossi.

To replace Alonso, McLaren drafted in a ‘retired’ Jenson Button to fill Alonso’s place. However, for both drivers the day ended in disappointment.

Having led the Indy 500 for 27 laps, an issue with Alonso’s Honda engine — a familiar theme that year — forced him to retire. Button’s race came to a premature end too when he flipped Pascal Wehrlein‘s Sauber into the barriers at Portier and received suspension damage. He was later handed a three-place grid drop for his next race that never came.

The following year, Alonso managed to co-ordinate a World Endurance Championship entry with Toyota alongside his McLaren F1 campaign, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours on his first attempt. It brought him one step closer to becoming only the second driver to win racing’s Triple Crown: with a Monaco Grand Prix win already under his belt, only an Indy 500 victory remains elusive.

Kimi Räikkönen

There are no shortage of tales when it comes to Kimi Räikkönen and the dangerous activities he got up to away from the race track. From entering a risky snowmobile race under the pseudonym ‘James Hunt’ a week before his Ferrari debut, or dressing as a gorilla to participate in a powerboat event, the Finn certainly likes pushing his luck, and we love him for it.

However, the ‘Iceman’ was able to use his real name and identity to compete in several rallying events over the course of 2009 while still under contract with Ferrari.