Max Verstappen has reacted to his opening two days of the Nurburgring 24 Hours weekend amid leaving rivals in awe of the four-time Formula 1 world champion.
The 28-year-old is making his debut at the manic event, driving a Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Lucas Auer, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
Thursday saw Verstappen set the third-quickest lap time with an 8m18.539s, before Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen to start debut from fourth, Lamborghini takes 1-2 in qualifying.
Qualifying for the top category is split across three sessions – TQ1, 2 and 3 – with teams nominating a different driver for each outing and Auer was first out in the Verstappen Mercedes.
The DTM star finished fifth to ensure progression into TQ2, which saw Verstappen jump in the AMG needing a top seven lap time for TQ3.
He just about did that with sixth, surviving a late scare as the Dutchman gradually dropped to that position from first to finish the session 1.129s off the pace-setting Nick Yelloly Audi.
#3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer
Photo by: Marc Fleury
But all Verstappen cared about was progression, whether it was on top or in seventh, as it paved the way for Juncadella to then take fourth on the grid for Saturday’s race start.
“I felt comfortable in the car because we were targeting to get to the top qualifying three, which of course is not easy with the competition out there,” said Verstappen.
“It’s super tough, a lot of fast cars around, but we just managed to sneak in. So the final lap was just good enough and it was nice.
“Luckily it was dry, the car felt all right and we managed to sneak in. So that was the target and yeah yesterday, a lot of changing conditions and for me the first time in the night.
“Probably the worst possible conditions with the rain, the fog coming in. But at least I got a good first idea of what to expect potentially in the race as well. So that was good.”
This race has long been on Verstappen’s radar due to the gap between the Miami Grand Prix and Canada, which takes place between 22-24 May, and he has taken it as seriously as he could have, entering up to five races at the Nordschleife in preparation.
#3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
“I think we honestly prepared as well as we could as a team, also over the last few races,” Verstappen added. “And now this weekend, it’s a really professional group of people putting their heart and soul into everything. So we hope to be able to have a good result.”
It is such preparation that has left the rest of the grid with admiration for the F1 star, whose presence has taken the event to a new level with tickets quickly selling out.
“It’s great having him here,” said Marco Mapelli, who took second in TQ3 aboard the Team Abt Lamborghini Huracan. “How many people are coming compared to the past, it’s just a plus. It’s just a plus on everything. It’s a big respect for this kind of talent.
“It’s completely far away from his normal world, but it’s nice to see his commitment on this job, his way to approach testing and so on. It means that he’s having fun, but he knows that to perform he needs to commit a lot.
“It shows how the level is that you cannot just arrive and bang, make the car first or whatever. You need to be prepared.”
Those thoughts were shared by polesitter Luca Engstler, who reckons it shows the level GT racing is now at especially when the 161-car entry list is completely stacked.
Luca Engstler
Photo by: ADAC Motorsport
Away from Verstappen, there are drivers like the 2024 World Endurance Championship champion Kevin Estre, reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Guven and F1 podium sitter Timo Glock.
Engstler said: “He’s definitely someone that I’m looking up to and someone that I can learn from a lot. He’s having a massive passion, like a lot of the drivers here, and I think that’s why we can really identify ourselves with him.
“It just shows that he knows what we are doing here. I think he never expected to pitch up, rock up FP1 and then send it on pole. He knew that it’s a very specific car, it’s a very specific race that we’re doing here.
“If you see the way he was preparing, it just showed that he’s taking it seriously and that’s just great to see.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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