Jann Mardenborough Returns to the Nordschleife After 10 Years

Jann Mardenborough (Photo: GT World Challenge Europe)

“Second at a circuit I wanted to return to for a while, to do it in a new chapter with Ford feels right. I hope to return again, preferably sooner this time. We will see.”

With those words, Jann Mardenborough reflected on his remarkable second-place finish at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, his first race at the legendary circuit in a decade. For the British driver, whose career began in front of a PlayStation, the moment carried weight far beyond the result sheet.

Mardenborough’s journey is one of motorsport’s most extraordinary. In 2011 he won Nissan’s GT Academy, a competition that transformed the best Gran Turismo sim racers into real-world professionals. He proved his talent quickly, climbing through endurance racing, Super GT in Japan, and even competing at Le Mans.

That story of a gamer turned racer was immortalised in the 2023 film Gran Turismo, which introduced global audiences to Mardenborough’s unique path into professional motorsport.

Triumph and Tragedy at the Ring

The Nürburgring has long been a painful chapter in Mardenborough’s career. Just as depicted in the Gran Turismo film, in 2015 an unfortunate accident occurred when the Nissan GT-R he was driving went airborne at the Flugplatz section and into spectators. One person tragically lost their life and others were injured.

The incident left a lasting mark on Mardenborough and on the wider motorsport community. In the years after, he referred to that moment as “the lowest point of my life, personally, and also my career.”

In the aftermath of the accident, officials introduced stricter safety measures, including speed limits in certain sectors, barrier upgrades, and redesigned spectator zones. These changes reshaped how races at the 20.8 km circuit are run.

The Road Back

Nearly ten years passed before Mardenborough returned to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a circuit famously nicknamed “the Green Hell” for its unforgiving nature. Earlier this year he quietly earned his Nürburgring permit, the licence required to compete at the daunting track.

His comeback came on 27 September 2025 in Round 9 of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), the 57. ADAC Barbarossapreis, where he raced with HRT Ford Performance in the #9 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside teammates Dennis Fetzer and Fabio Scherer.

After four hours of racing, Jann and his team would finish runner-up to four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, who was driving a Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by Emil Frey Racing and shared with British sim racer turned real-world driver Chris Lulham.

In the context of nearly ten years away, that runner-up finish was more than respectable. His journey continues to inspire, whether he returns again soon, as he hopes, or later. From PlayStation to podium, from the big screen to the Green Hell, Jann Mardenborough remains one of motorsport’s most remarkable stories.