SINGAPORE — Max Verstappen‘s recent GT3 endurance race win at the Nordschleife has not only enhanced his already high standing among his Formula 1 peers — it might also have made him an even better driver, rivals say.
Verstappen was granted permission by Red Bull to race in the four-hour Nürburgring Endurance Series race at the 13-mile Nordschleife, nicknamed “the Green Hell.
The four-time world champion tested there earlier this year under the alias “Franz Hermann,” before gaining his permit in the weekend between his F1 grand prix victories in Monza and Baku.
Verstappen and teammate Chris Lulham — sim racer turned real world driver — won in a Ferrari 296 entered by Emil Frey Racing, finishing 24.5 seconds ahead of the next car.
“We’ve been preparing for that for a while … just two very nice days,” Verstappen told reporters in Singapore on Thursday. “Racing a bit in the wet, in the dry, just getting more and more experience was nice. And then of course to win it, that’s an extra bonus.”
Verstappen’s focus has switched to taking a third successive F1 win at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend — doing so might well vindicate McLaren’s repeated assertions the Dutchman is an outsider in the drivers’ championship this year.
The ability to switch so seamlessly between series is impressive, Verstappen took part against a field of drivers with regular experience at the Nordschleife circuit, which is considered one of the most dangerous circuits in the world. It was a former host of the German Grand Prix and where Niki Lauda‘s infamous fiery crash occurred in 1976.
His GT3 victory raised an inevitable question ahead of Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix about whether the experience has made Verstappen — comfortably the best driver in Formula 1 at the moment — even stronger.
“Does it make me a better driver? I’ve been doing this already for so many years on the simulator, so me doing it now in real life is not very different,” Verstappen said. “But it definitely doesn’t hurt, I think I can say that.”
Williams driver Alex Albon, who was Verstappen’s teammate for two and a half years at Red Bull, agreed. “There’s a lot to gain from driving different cars, call it a little bit like your ‘vocabulary,'” Albon said. “You read a book, you increase your vocabulary. You drive different cars, you increase what we call our ‘toolbox’. “You learn different ways to drive quickly and you figure out different techniques, different challenges, different criteria in terms of limitations with the car and how you drive around them.”
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McLaren’s Lando Norris said it just underlined the fact the Red Bull driver is the benchmark the rest of the F1 grid have to measure themselves against. “The fact he can go into any series and be probably the best does show how good he is and how great he is,” Norris said. “I’ve said it many times. I think he’s born to be, and will forever be, one of the best ever, if not the best, in Formula 1.”
What was striking about media day in Singapore was how excited other drivers got talking about Verstappen’s extra curricular activity. While other drivers, such as Le Mans 24 Hours winners Nico Hülkenberg and Fernando Alonso, have taken part in other events, the fact Verstappen picked the fearsome Nordschleife as his first race away from F1 impressed his rivals.
Another former teammate, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, was blown away and would like to find out a way to join Verstappen in the future.
“I think it’s just incredible,” the Frenchman said. “Nordschleife is an iconic race track. I think it’s just insane. There’s nothing that comes close to it, really. It’s great for Max to have the opportunity to sort of organise these things. I think ultimately it’s great. He got to a point where he’s got his team, he’s got his cars.
“He’s got a nice setup to just go around and actually do this type of racing. I think it’s great for the sport. Ultimately, I wouldn’t mind joining him in the future on some of this racing,” he added.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman‘s eyes lit up when he was asked about whether he had seen any highlights of Verstappen’s race weekend. “I’m a big fan of Max,” Bearman said. “That was really cool to see.
“I watched some highlights and I also watched his pole lap where he had to overtake a car on the grass. It was pretty cool.”
There was an extra piece for Bearman to enjoy, having crossed paths with Verstappen’s teammate Lulham early in their careers.
“I was racing with him in karting when I was like 7 or 8 years old,” Bearman added. “He was always very fast and very, very good and then of course went to sim racing and was like the best sim racer in the world. And now, you know, he’s been doing GT World Challenge this year, but to be racing with Max at the Nordschleife, that must be such an awesome experience.”
