Max Verstappen tests Nissan’s Super GT car ahead of Japanese Grand Prix

Formula 1 star Max Verstappen made a surprise appearance at a private Super GT test on Wednesday, driving a Nissan Z GT500 contender.

The four-time world champion drew the attention of fans gathered at the Fuji Speedway test when he rolled out of the pits in a Red Bull-liveried Nissan during the second day of the manufacturers’ test.

Motorsport.com understands that the outing was part of a promotional shoot organised by Red Bull. 

Verstappen completed several laps of a wet Fuji track through the day, as he got up to speed with the Z GT500 and its two-litre inline four engine. No lap times were published from the test, in which only a handful of GT500 cars were in attendance.

It marked only his second outing in a modern Super GT machine, having previously sampled the previous-generation Honda NSX-GT in 2022 during Honda’s Thanks Day event.

A Honda NSX GT3 entered in the GT300 class was also spotted in Red Bull colours during the two-day test at Fuji.

Red Bull was previously involved in Super GT, having sponsored the Mugen-Honda team as part of a collaboration that extended into Super Formula.

The energy drinks giant also routinely placed its junior drivers in Japanese motorsport, with current Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson its most recent graduate from Super Formula.

Verstappen has been gradually broadening his horizons beyond F1 in recent years and is set to contest the Nurburgring 24 Hours for the first time with Mercedes-AMG. He and team-mates Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella provisionally won last weekend’s NLS2 round at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, but were later disqualified from the results due to a tyre infringement.

Verstappen’s Super GT test appearance comes ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit, where he returns to F1 following a challenging start to the season in Albert Park and Shanghai.

After the opening two rounds, he sits eighth in the championship with just eight points on the board, compared to 55 for championship leader George Russell (Mercedes).

Red Bull holds sixth place in the teams’ standings, while its erstwhile engine partner Honda has struggled for performance and reliability after joining forces with Aston Martin for the start of F1’s new rules era.