Last week, GM made waves by releasing the official Nurburgring lap times for its latest high-performance C8 variants: the Z06, ZR1, and ZR1X. The headline? The Corvette ZR1X is now the fastest American-made production car ever to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife, running a 6:49.275. That time edges out Ford’s $325,000 Mustang GTD by nearly three full seconds. What’s more impressive is that GM’s record-setting laps weren’t set by professional racing drivers, but by its own in-house development engineers. Now, Nurburgring specialist and professional driver Misha Charoudin has stepped in with a deep analysis of Corvette ZR1 Nurburgring lap times and he’s confident the car has even more to give.

Three C8s, One Big Statement

Misha, a respected voice in Nurburgring performance testing, released a 30-minute video on his YouTube channel breaking down the ZR1 lap frame by frame. His verdict? The car is brutally fast, but it left noticeable performance on the table.

Because none of the cars are approved for sale European roads, each were forced to run in the “prototype/pre-production” class. Regardless, the lap times speak for themselves. These are now some of the fastest production-based vehicles ever recorded on the Nurburgring 12.9-mile North Loop.

Misha points out that the ZR1’s mid-engine layout, combined with its massive power output, made its victory over the Mustang GTD expected. What stood out more to him was how much faster the car could be, particularly if the Corvette ZR1 Nurburgring lap attempt was handed over to a seasoned Nurburgring racer.

Missed Apexes and Conservative Driving

According to Charoudin, the ZR1’s official lap left 8 to 10 seconds on the table. He notes early braking zones, minimal use of curbing, conservative entry angles, and missed corner exits throughout the run. The lap was clean and composed, but lacked the surgical aggression you’d expect from a pro racer going for an all-out lap.

Despite this, the ZR1 still managed to beat the GTD—largely thanks to its massive power and mid-engine balance. Misha compares it to Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS, which posted a near-identical lap time with significantly less horsepower. That comparison, he suggests, shows just how much potential remains in the Corvette if the setup and driving are pushed to their absolute limits.

With Ford likely preparing another GTD lap attempt in response, and the ZR1 still capable of faster times in the right hands, the Nurburgring battle between Detroit’s best is far from over.