Max Verstappen exception? Nurburgring backed in ’embarrassing’ situation

Timo Glock insists that making Max Verstappen pass the tests for a Nordschleife racing licence was not embarrassing, as Ralf Schumacher claimed, it was “the rule” – and it applies to everyone.

While his Formula 1 rivals slept in, attended fancy dress parties or chilled on the couch during the off weekend between Monza and Baku, Verstappen was in action at the Nürburgring in a bid to secure the necessary permit that would allow him to compete in next year’s Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Nurburgring permit? ‘After that, I really understood’

That not only meant time on the track, but also a written exam.

Verstappen sat the exam on Friday before being allowed to take to the track behind a driving instructor, Andreas Gülden, who gave him a few tips about racing on the ‘green hell’.

Granted his Permit B, Verstappen qualified seventh in the Porsche GT4 Cayman for the Cup3 division race before he and teammate Chris Lulham raced to seventh place in Saturday’s four-hour race.

Verstappen completed 14 laps, but that fell short of the mileage required by the Deutcher Motor Sport Bund [DMSB] for the Permit A that the reigning F1 World Champion was chasing.

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Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher called it “embarrassing” that the DMSB were even asking Verstappen to jump through the hoops.

“Well, I would have given it to him straight away, of course,” Schumacher told Motorsport-Total.com. “Or he could have been given a briefing about the Nordschleife and the specific things.

“That would have been the end of it. The best driver in the world will manage it if the others can do it, I’m pretty sure of that.

“It’s embarrassing.”

After an anxious wait, the DMSB committee approved Verstappen’s for a Permit A.

Glock believes they made the right call in ensuring Verstappen not only knew the theory behind the regulations of the Nordschleife, but also proved he could handle the traffic in what is a very different situation to what he faces with F1’s blue flags.

“Once you start making exceptions, many more will soon be waiting,” Glock told Motorsport-Magazin. “The fact is, the Nordschleife is different, the races are also different.

“I think it’s good that they follow that hard line and that the rules apply to everyone.

“I also asked myself those questions when I had to get my license. Only then did I understand why it was necessary.

“You see both sides, and that’s a big advantage. The drivers in the smaller racing classes also race and go to the limit with their cars just as fast.

“After that, I really understood.”

Glock, who swapped to the German DTM series and endurance racing after his F1 career ended with the now-defunct Marussia F1 team, applauded Verstappen’s enthusiasm about racing series outside of Formula 1.

“Max Verstappen is a poster child for the sport,” said the German. “Some gentlemen can learn something from that, especially when you see how much love and energy he puts into this sport.

“I admire that.”

That was a sentiment echoed by his fellow former F1 driver Christian Klien.

“It’s funny, because some F1 drivers are only interested in F1 and then not even in endurance like Le Mans and so on,” Klien told F1Maximaal.nl. “They focus purely on single-seaters and nothing else.

“Max is one of those people who is very interested in that. He has experience, of course, he has a few GT3 cars. He drives it every time, it’s really great fun.

“It’s really door-to-door racing. The competition is super high and they are all specialists there.”

With the Permit A in hand, Verstappen will reportedly return to the track in late September to race a Ferrari 296 GT3 car in an NLS event.

“I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my DMSB Permit Nordschleife,” the four-time F1 World Champion told his website, verstappen.com.

“I really enjoyed myself, but that’s always the case around here. It was good to drive stints in the race with traffic, both with faster and slower cars.

“There was also a ‘code 60’ race neutralisation, double waved yellows and a standard yellow flag. I drove in the wet, the dry and in mixed conditions.

“I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t and completed a start procedure. It was really good to gain more experience on this circuit.”

He added: “To contest a 24-hour race here, in a GT3 car, would be amazing.”

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