During Max Verstappen‘s press moment, the conversation was dominated by the Nordschleife and, of course, Franz Hermann, more so than Imola. “Purely German. And a name I chose myself,” the Dutchman said with a broad grin at the circuit where the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will take place on Sunday.
There has been much ado in recent days and weeks about Verstappen’s GT3 test on the Nordschleife, especially regarding how fast he was on the asphalt. Reports that he had improved the lap record were confirmed by Verstappen when asked on Thursday. “But I wasn’t aiming for a record. I was just having fun and wanted to get to know the track.”
At some point, though not in the near future, he wants to participate in a 24-hour race there. “Emil Frey Racing (the team Verstappen drove for during the test) also dreams of competing in that race. I would like to do that in the future as well. That’s why I do these things, I can gain some experience and prepare.”
After his adventures on the Nordschleife, Verstappen quickly turned his attention back to Formula 1. But still, one pressing question remained: would he ever want to tackle the famous circuit in a Formula 1 car? “Well, not in the current F1 cars. That’s too risky in terms of bumps and road handling. The GT3s are already very fast, that was really cool.”
