With Max Verstappen taking advantage of an F1 2025 off weekend to test a Ferrari GT3 at the Nürburgring, questions have mounted about what other tracks we could see Verstappen at.

But Christian Horner has made it clear: Max Versatppen can satisfy his cravings to race other cars, but he will not be missing any F1 races in the future.

Red Bull won’t let Max Verstappen skip a race like Fernando Alonso did

Back in 2017, then-McLaren driver Fernando Alonso did something unthinkable: He skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to race somewhere else.

During that period, McLaren was in the throes of a performance slump that meant two-time World Champion Alonso was at wit’s end — and to keep him satisfied, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown made an offer that started as a joke: Why not skip Monaco to race the Indianapolis 500?

Much to Brown’s surprise, Alonso took him up on it.

The Spaniard handed his McLaren seat over to Jenson Button for the weekend and tried his hand at the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.

Unfortunately, an engine failure saw Alonso retire from the race on lap 179 of 200.

Still, the whole affair stood out thanks to its nonexistence in modern motorsport culture. While many Formula 1 drivers — Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart — skipped grands prix to try their hand at the Indy 500, drivers tend to stick solely to one series today.

And they certainly don’t skip a race in their primary series to try something else.

The latest analysis from PlanetF1.com

👉 Imola GP conclusions: Verstappen’s Piastri lesson, McLaren’s fear, Tsunoda’s wobble

👉 Emilia Romagna GP driver ratings: A drop for Piastri with Verstappen perfect

Yet keen motorsport fans love to see talented drivers taking on diverse challenges, and many have begun to wonder if we could see Verstappen contesting a non-F1 race sometime soon.

This comes after the reigning champion was spotted testing a Ferrari GT3 at the Nurburgring, where rumours have emerged that Verstappen was setting impressive and competitive lap times.

In Imola, that test and its implications for the future were a primary topic of conversation among motorsport media, and Sky F1 spoke to Horner about it.

“He’s so versatile and he’s so passionate about all forms of racing: sim racing, GT racing – he has his own GT team, effectively,” Horner said in praise of his driver.

“He was very keen to run at the Nurburgring. It’s something we’ve known about for quite some time. He went there and did an incredible job and really enjoyed himself.

“It’s what he loves doing and it would be very hard to take that away from him.”

But would Horner allow Verstappen to do something like Alonso and try his hand at racing in a different series?

Horner shut that down quickly, saying, “He’s not going to miss a race, that’s for sure.

“The focus has to be here on the day job.

“I think it’s great that he’s so versatile and I think, as Red Bull, we’ve always been slightly more relaxed than perhaps other teams in terms of the freedom that we’ve given our drivers.

“But he’s finding that compromise, finding that balance; obviously, the priority is here. But it’s great that he’s embracing all forms of motorsport.”

As the Formula 1 calendar continues to grow, conflicts among major races have become more common.

Monaco and the Indy 500 have often shared the same date; even though Monaco is set to change its date in the near future, the month-long effort required to practice, qualify for and race at Indianapolis almost certainly guarantees a major conflict.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans, too, often falls on an F1 weekend — this year, Montreal.

If fans want to see Verstappen try his hand at a different race series, they’ll likely need to wait for him to step away from F1.

Read next: Max Verstappen identifies Red Bull advantage after statement Imola win