Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko commends Max Verstappen for enduring the entire process to obtain his racing license for the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Austrian is proud of how his star driver is dealing with the ‘terrible bureaucracy’ associated with obtaining an A-license for the notorious German circuit. ‘He doesn’t want preferential treatment,’ explains Marko.
Max Verstappen has begun his debut race on the Nordschleife. The Dutchman has made it through the opening rounds on the iconic German circuit unscathed, and still has three hours to go in his Porsche 718 Cayman GT4. Verstappen has held his B-license for the Nürburgring Nordschleife since Friday evening, which means he is participating in the race in a detuned Porsche GT4. As a result, the Dutchman has 125 hp less at his disposal than the other cars, making it unlikely for him to achieve a good race result during his first race weekend on the Nordschleife. However, the driver is fast: he is currently almost a minute ahead of the drivers in his own class.
At the start, Verstappen saw the other cars pass his detuned GT4 car on both sides.
Marko Commends Verstappen
Verstappen is undergoing the standard procedure for debutants on the notorious ‘Green Hell’ section of the Nürburgring this race weekend, but advisor Helmut Marko labels the system as ‘terribly bureaucratic’. Nevertheless, the Austrian is primarily proud of how Verstappen is diligently going through the entire process for a Nordschleife license. “Max is extremely positive and goes along with everything,” Marko praises the driver to F1-Insider. “He doesn’t want preferential treatment. That’s what makes him so unique.”