Max Verstappen made a strong impression on his instructor at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Dutchman participated in an NLS race (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie) at the German circuit on Saturday. Like all other ‘inexperienced’ drivers, he first had to complete a number of practice laps. Andreas Gülden, who accompanied Verstappen during his Nürburgring debut, was full of praise for the four-time Formula 1 champion afterwards.
After participating in an endurance race on the Nordschleife, Verstappen was awarded his A-license on Saturday evening. This allows him to participate in GT3 cars from now on. This weekend, like the regular rookies, he had to settle for a Porsche Cayman GT4 with a detuned engine. On Friday, he had to pass a circuit and theory exam to obtain his B-license. During this, Verstappen made an ‘enormous impression’ on Nürburgring instructor Andreas Gülden.
“It was fantastic to drive a few laps for the world champion,” Gülden responded to De Telegraaf. “Luckily I had a lot more power, otherwise it might not have worked,” he joked. “We were in contact via the radio and I gave him some tips, but in the end we were also a bit of fooling around. He was driving on slicks, I was on regular street tires – I was really pushing hard. He found that quite amusing, and I think he appreciated it.”
A True World Champion
Verstappen received a lot of praise for his excursion to the Nürburgring. It harks back to long-gone times when Formula 1 drivers regularly competed in other racing classes. “It’s great to see Max here,” Gülden also said. “During the ride around the circuit, he seemed very interested. For example, in which line you should drive in the rain, and what I could tell him about the different types of asphalt and the flag signals – after all, they are different from other racing classes.”Gülden felt ‘honored’ to work with Max Verstappen. “I think we both learned something from each other,” he continued. “He’s really a nice guy. A huge enthusiast too. It’s amazing to see him laugh so much behind the wheel, driving on the most beautiful circuit in the world. I’m really very impressed by Max. Of course, because of his qualities in the car, there’s no doubt about that. But also because of his ambition and interest. He’s so incredibly focused. It was an honor to work with him for a while. He’s a real world champion, a real racer.”
Max Verstappen behind the wheel of the Porsche 718 Cayman GTC on the Nürburgring Nordschleife (Verstappen.com)
