This week, Max Verstappen took his first steps in an endurance car. As part of a Honda sponsorship event, he got behind the wheel of the Acura GTP from Meyer Shank Racing, the vehicle with which compatriot Renger van der Zande will soon be managing the IMSA championship. The question is whether these initial practice laps will whet his appetite for more; Verstappen has confirmed on several occasions that he wants to participate in long-distance races in the future.
Images of Max Verstappen behind the wheel of an endurance car are circulating all over the internet. In the run-up to the Las Vegas GP, the Dutch Formula 1 driver was invited for a few demonstration laps in the Acura GTP from Meyer Shank Racing. Visa RB driver Yuki Tsunoda was also present; he got to prove himself in a Honda IndyCar. Footage shows a satisfied Verstappen climbing out of the Acura car. “That felt good,” he grins.
Verstappen in a Long-Distance Race?
The practice laps with Meyer Shank Racing were the first steps Max Verstappen took in a real endurance car. Many fans are wondering if this is a sign that the Dutchman will soon venture into long-distance races. Verstappen has flirted with the idea of major endurance races in the past. For instance, he has previously expressed a desire to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Formula 1 dream team.
An endurance debut might come sooner than expected. Acura, which recently announced Renger van der Zande as a regular driver, still needs to appoint an eighth driver for the 24 Hours of Daytona. The famous long-distance race takes place in January and therefore does not overlap with the Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, van der Zande is feeling the pressure now that Verstappen has had a taste of ‘his’ car. “Imagine you’ve just signed with a new team and then the next day you see Verstappen’s helmet lying around. Thanks Max, no pressure,” he joked on social media.”I’m sorry, but without the original text in a source language, I’m unable to provide a translation or optimization. The instructions provided require a text to be translated and optimized for Dutch newspaper readers. Please provide the text in the source language for further assistance.””I’m sorry, but the provided text appears to be HTML code for an Instagram post, which does not contain any readable content to translate or optimize. Please provide a text in a source language that can be translated into English.”
