The answer to this question will be provided by the BMW M 3h race of the Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series on Saturday, December 16. Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen will take on the challenge of the 'Green Hell' in the Ferrari 296 GT3 of Team Redline. Among others, the Dutchman will meet NLS rookie Andy Gülden. The chief instructor of the Nürburgring Driving Academy will start together with Gregor Kinski in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Nürburgring eSports. You can see how the Formula 1 world champion fares against the Nordschleife and sim racing pros in the livestream on VLN.de on Saturday from 11:45 am with the first images from qualifying. The starting lights will finally turn green at 1 pm.

"I think we'll all have to dress warmly when Max lines up in the DNLS," says Gülden. "As Formula 1 world champion, he is currently not only the best racing driver in the world, but has also been an excellent simracer for years. I'm really looking forward to contesting a race against him. You don't experience that every day." Verstappen will share the cockpit with his compatriot Rudy van Buren, the official simulator test and development driver for Oracle Red Bull Racing. Team Redline is one of the veterans of sim racing. Founded in 2000, the multinational team has more than 100 titles to its name - including winning the first iRacing World Championship in 2010.

After Mercedes-AMG's six-race triumph in the opening race, the rivals are looking for revenge. The BMW, Ferrari and Porsche teams were clearly left behind in the SP9. There is a change of brand in the DNLS2 line-up. Sami-Matti Trogen and Dominik Staib from the Sontek Racing team are switching from Ferrari to Lamborghini. In addition to Redline, LionGP-fenster.com will continue to attack with the Ferrari 296 GT3. BS+Competition, WS Racing and RC Carshop eSports will compete with the BMW M4 GT3, while Halder Motorsport, Coanda Esports by Manthey, Leipert eSports and the Falken Simracing Team will rely on Porsche.

The premiere of the Porsche Esports Endurance Trophy Nürburgring was fiercely contested at the season opener. Scherer eSport Cup secured first place in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup one-make cup ahead of the Apex Racing Team and Team Redline. The other teams from the real Nürburgring Endurance Series, pb performance, KKrämer Racing eSport, AVIA W&S e-Motorsport and Dörr Esports were still left behind. However, the teams will now do everything they can to improve their positions in race two.

The premiere of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in the DNLS went well. Dörr Esports immediately took second place with the British super sports car behind Sontek Racing in the BMW M4 GT4. The brand mix at the top of the SP10 class was completed by the MAHLE Racing Team, which entered the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the race. Behind ATRS eSports, the two NLS teams Adrenalin Motorsport and PROsport SimRacing finished fourth and fifth.

After race one, the focus in SP3T will once again be on the duel between SimRC and Team Heusinkveld. The two teams have already dominated the class in recent years and are seamlessly building on their successes in the 23/24 winter season. In the new VT2 class, Nürburgring eSports celebrated its maiden victory with the Toyota GT86. And in race two, fans who are used to the best multiclass racing from the real Nürburgring Endurance Series can once again look forward to thrilling racing action and battles at mirror level in the smaller classes.

DNLS2 presents teams in all classes with a new challenge. The 30-minute shorter race distance compared to the season opener requires completely new strategic planning. The professional sim racing teams work closely with their respective manufacturers. At Mercedes-AMG, for example, the topic of virtual motorsport is firmly anchored in the motorsport department - data analysis and strategic planning are carried out using the same software as in real racing.