Video of Max Verstappen racing a Super GT pro just doesn’t seem possible!
Video has popped up showing four-time Formula 1 champ Max Verstappen racing a top Japanese Super GT driver—and it’s pretty amazing to watch. Verstappen has shared some frustrations about the new F1 rules coming in 2026, even hinting after the Japanese Grand Prix that he might rethink his future in the sport.
Outside of F1, Max has been diving into endurance racing, taking part in a few GT3 car races to get ready for the 2026 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Unlike his dad Jos, Max isn’t interested in rallying, but sports car racing clearly excites him a lot. He recently went to Japan to race against a pro in Super GT, Japan’s top sports car series.
Red Bull has strong ties to Japan, thanks to their past engine partnership with Honda and their reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda being Japanese. Super GT features two classes: GT500 with 650 horsepower cars, and GT300, which is closer to the GT3 cars Max drove earlier this year at the Nurburgring.
In the video, Max took on Atsushi Miyake, a GT500 pro and former race winner. Miyake’s team had a solid season in 2024 and recently finished sixth at Fuji Speedway, where F1 also raced in the past.
The track was already wet when Max hit the circuit, adding a tough twist to his challenge. His task was to try the car for the first time, then beat Miyake’s best lap.
Miyake’s first lap was 1:45.453, then he improved to 1:44.075 on his second lap. Max struggled a bit at first, sliding off at one corner and trailing by three-tenths early on. But he quickly found his rhythm, cutting the gap to just 0.067 seconds by the end of that lap.
On his second lap, Max was in the zone—he gained nearly a second in the first sector and pushed ahead by 1.4 seconds overall, nailing the final part to finish with an incredible time of 1:42.290.
Miyake showed great respect afterwards, saying it was awesome to share the car with such a world-class driver and pick up some tips. Max admitted his first lap wasn’t great but was happy with his improvement, even though the rain made things tricky. When asked if he’d try again in dry conditions, he laughed and said he was eyeing those slick tires and hoped for a dry run next year.
You can check out the full video below to see how this cool showdown played out.