Why Verstappen’s Nordschleife approach is a win-win for motorsport

It is fair to say that the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) would not usually draw coverage from British tabloid and broadsheet outlets. But the participation of Max Verstappen, as part of his preparations for a maiden assault on the Nurburgring 24 Hours, has caused an explosion of interest in this hitherto niche corner of sportscar racing, which should only be welcomed as a win-win for motorsport.

Another indicator of the feverish excitement surrounding Verstappen’s extra-curricular activities is the number of people who tuned into the English-language live stream on the Nurburgring’s official YouTube channel.

The tally of 515k views compares favourably to the 60k for the corresponding event last year. And it appears that fans liked what they saw.

So inundated with messages was Christopher Haase after his entertaining scrap with the four-time Formula 1 world champion in the early stages of Saturday’s four-hour contest, that the Scherer Sport Audi racer was compelled to issue a statement of gratitude. “I truly didn’t expect this level of consistently positive support,” the two-time N24 Hour winner wrote on X.

The ‘Verstappen effect’ constitutes an unprecedented opportunity for the sportscar racing world. For sponsors to reach more eyeballs, yes, but also for new audiences to discover for themselves what has compelled Verstappen to add more commitments to an already demanding racing schedule.

The Dutchman hasn’t been especially shy in expressing his distaste for the new era of F1 and has found the no-fuss nature of GT3 racing a welcome tonic. Anyone watching Haase and Verstappen’s dogfight in traffic, culminating in a side-by-side battle down the Dottinghe Hohe, will surely see why. You can argue that Balance of Performance makes racing artificial all you like, but there was certainly no lifting on the straight here…

Those YouTube viewers unfamiliar with contemporary motorsport at the Nordschleife – with the Green Hell’s truly unique challenge a world away from the facsimile tracks populating the F1 calendar, and enormously diverse entry beyond the front-runners in the SP9 class – will have been treated to a contest that lacks little for action while being accessible to fans of other categories and devoid of complexities – virtual energy anybody? – that may alienate new followers. Those willing to stick around for the 24 Hours itself, with its legions of passionate fans indulging in every sense of the word trackside, will discover another level of special altogether.

It is expected that Verstappen will also contest NL3 during F1’s enforced break amid conflict in the Middle East. Confirmation, when it arrives, will be music to the ears of a great many who while greatly respected in the sportscar bubble may find their talents more widely appreciated as a result of the ‘Verstappen effect’.

Hopefully, it won’t only be Haase that sees a benefit. It can only be a positive thing if fans, whose exposure to motorsport has been predominantly via Drive To Survive, are inclined to look up Verstappen’s team-mates in the Winward-run Mercedes-AMG Evo II and discover for themselves Jules Gounon’s heroics at Bathurst or Dani Juncadella’s triumph in Macau. (While they are at it, they should definitely check out footage of Juncadella’s epic save at Brands Hatch in 2017, which nine times out of ten should have ended up in the barriers).

Together, Gounon and Juncadella conquered the Spa 24 Hours in 2022 and won that year’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title. Along with Verstappen and 2024 GTWCE Sprint champion Lucas Auer (who joins for the 24 Hours), they stand an excellent chance of delivering Mercedes-AMG a first win at the event since 2016 when Maro Engel (Black Falcon) passed Christian Hohenadel (HTP) on the last lap.

Verstappen’s efforts to grab pole at NLS2 underlined that his talent is no less potent when plugged into unfamiliar GT3 machinery on what is arguably the ultimate driver’s track, which he describes as “one of the craziest tracks in the world… in a good way”. The fact that a car running under the Verstappen.com banner has now twice crossed the line first in as many attempts – after he and Chris Lulham triumphed on debut aboard a Ferrari 296 GT3 in last year’s NLS9 – is no small feat.

That the record books will show Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper’s ROWE Racing BMW M4 as the victors of NLS2, following a tyre procedure breach that resulted in disqualification, will ultimately matter for little in the grand scheme of things. The “hurt” as described by Mercedes-AMG customer racing boss Stefan Wendl may even prove a blessing in disguise for the Hohenadel-run Winward team (formerly HTP), compelling it to be hotter on the rulebook and tighter operationally such that it may reach greater heights when the pressure cranks up in the 24 Hours.

The fact that Verstappen is treating his preparations so seriously – Gounon specifically praised his “humble” approach – should be celebrated. He certainly cannot be accused of relying on his talent and bulging CV to carry him through. Rather, he has applied himself to learning the Nordschleife’s foibles and giving himself the best chance of turning up for the main event on the front foot.

In doing so, he is giving the event and his competition due respect, while also building a narrative far more engaging than if he had just rocked up for the 24. Should he prevail and become only the fourth Dutch N24 victor, following Nicky Catsburg (2020, 2023) Jeroen Bleekemolen (2013) and Duncan Huisman (2005), Verstappen would be responsible for one of the year’s feel-good stories in much the same manner as Nico Hulkenberg’s Le Mans triumph for Porsche in 2015.

#3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon

Photo by: Jan Brucke/VLN

The Daily Express (who asserted that a Don Harper had been declared the winner in its report) won’t always follow German sportscar races. But while it lasts, it will be a fun ride.

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– The Autosport.com Team