While Max Verstappen intended to make a discreet visit to the Nürburgring last week, news of his testing on this iconic circuit quickly spread worldwide. Even the pseudonym ‘Franz Hermann’ didn’t fool anyone. Driving a Ferrari GT3 car from his own racing team, Verstappen completed several laps around the Nordschleife. Helmut Marko later confirmed that it didn’t take long for the Dutchman to set a track record.
Last week, Max Verstappen, alias Franz Hermann, drove a handful of laps around the famed Nürburgring. No official lap times were released, but according to renowned Nürburgring expert Misha Charoudin, the four-time world champion quickly held a track record for the GT3 class. “He showed up, set a record with a full tank on a busy track, and left,” Charoudin wrote on Instagram.
After contacting Verstappen, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that the Dutchman had shattered the track records at the Nürburgring. “GT racing is his great passion, which is why he has his own team,” Marko told Kronen Zeitung. “He told me that he had improved a record by two seconds after just three laps. He was almost more involved with these details than he is in Formula 1.”
Interests Beyond Formula 1
The Austrian praised Max Verstappen for his involvement in other racing classes. “He runs a sim racing team and now wants to put one of his best drivers in a GT car,” Marko explained. “He actively wants to promote young talent. After all, a full season of karting costs a quarter of a million euros, while for ‘only’ thirty to fifty thousand euros you can have a good simulator. In addition, he helps with the development of software that is also used in the simulators for Formula 2 and Formula 3.”
However, Verstappen also raced for his own gain at the Nürburgring. He may want to participate in a 24-hour race on The Green Hell in the future. That’s easier said than done – even for a four-time Formula 1 world champion. “For the Nürburgring, you need a special permit,” revealed driver Jeroen Bleekemolen in FORMULA 1 Paddock Talk. “For that, you have to start from scratch. Even Max Verstappen would then actually need to take a racing course and practice in a slightly slower car.”
