Verstappen leaves Nürburgring teammates stunned as ‘Maxipedia’ nickname sticks

Max Verstappen has earned himself a new nickname from his Mercedes-AMG teammates after the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The Dutch driver made use of the gap in the F1 calendar to head to Germany to take part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours as part of a four-man entry with his own Verstappen Racing entry.

Max Verstappen praised by Nürburgring 24 Hours teammates

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• Why Max Verstappen is called ‘Maxipedia’
• How Verstappen impressed Nürburgring teammates
• What Verstappen’s GT3 debut revealed about him

The four-time F1 World Champion joined veteran GT racers Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon for his first 24-hour endurance event with his own Verstappen Racing entry.

Operated by Winward Racing with a Mercedes-Benz AMG, the quartet proved one of the most competitive cars throughout the weekend and, as rivals fell away due to mistakes or incidents, the #3 Mercedes of Verstappen’s team found itself in a two-horse race with the sister car, the #80.

Verstappen’s stints proved decisive in moving the car into the lead during his first two hours, with a move around the outside of the #47 Mercedes just two hours in, while a double-overtake down the Döttinger Höhe saw him pass two cars within two corners to take the lead.

Later, in the night, the Red Bull F1 driver showed there was no reason to doubt his inexperience in the dark as he and the veteran Maro Engel, the current DTM championship leader, went head-to-head, including a door-banging incident that left Engel in the grass.

At the 21-hour mark, Verstappen pitted from a 28-second lead to hand the car over to Juncadella but, on the outlap, the Spaniard encountered an ABS issue and, with a driveshaft failure that resulted in collateral mechanical damage, pitted after losing the lead to the #80.

Unfortunately, there was no quick fix and, while the car reappeared for the final two laps to verify a fix and set up a photo finish with the unchallenged #80, the Verstappen Racing entry had to swallow the bitter pill of disappointment.

It was a markedly different challenge that Verstappen took on, going full-on into a 24-hour race at a circuit as challenging as the Nordschleife for his first foray into endurance, compared to the usual 90-minute Grand Prix that he’s so accustomed to.

Verstappen ultimately proved himself more than capable, even at his first attempt, and Gounon told PlanetF1.com in an exclusive interview that he was blown away by just how comfortable the Dutch driver was at the first time of asking.

“For me, it’s amazing that he puts himself out there. I think it’s going outside your comfort zone,” he said.

“Of course, Formula 1 is a very small world where they’re really focused on their specificity, the same as us.

“So, to come to the craziest race that you can do in endurance, to go out there for your first time, it’s something I have a huge respect for.

“In the end, he came in, and he was straight [on pace] with us. No wonder why… it’s Max Verstappen.

“When people ask me, how is it? For me, he comes from another planet to arrive and just be with us, something that we have been doing for years, whether that’s Dani or Lucas or myself or Maro…to arrive and be with us is something pretty special.”

Asked about the fact that Verstappen had come into the GT world and had given the Nürburgring 24 Hours the full respect such an event requires, including going through the usual process of earning the DMSB permit on merit via a qualifying race in late 2025, Gounon said the full breadth of Verstappen’s knowledge of racing had earned him a new nickname in the Winward Racing squad.

“At the end of the day, Max is a big motorsport fan,” he said.

“When you speak with him about different stuff with Dani, we always have a joke, we call him Maxipedia, because he knows everything about motorsport.

“I think he just loves the race, because it’s an amazing race, and his joining made it even more special for the fans.”

Speaking in another exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Juncadella opined that, of the current F1 driver crop, precious few would have the ingredients needed to take on the challenge of the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

“I understand because, when you get to know Max, you realise how much of a passionate, competitive human being he is, especially for the world of motorsport, he is incredibly passionate,” he said.

“He loves racing at the top level. Obviously, his focus is Formula 1, but this is one of the best races in the world, and he wants to take part in that one.

“I think not many other F1 drivers would have the will, the drive to come and race here, and he’s been very passionate about this race for many years.

“He’s followed the race, he’s been watching, he’s been doing it online, and that’s why he’s also very well prepared for that.”

The F1 driver’s teammates wouldn’t usually be exposed to such public scrutiny and the eyeballs of the world being concentrated on their car, although Verstappen himself would be quite accustomed to such glare.

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Juncadella said that it has taken some time to get used to that additional pressure, but the approachability and attitude of Verstappen himself helped his teammates in shrugging off the weight of expectation.

“Especially in the first days, when you share a car with Max and see the people around, how much of a impact has on fans and people around you, it can be a bit overwhelming, and you can feel the pressure,” he said.

“But, after that, you get used to it, he’s such a nice guy and we share a lot of stuff as friends together. It’s super easy to get around with him, and I feel very grateful to be in this position to have this opportunity, and I’ve enjoyed it to the maximum.

“I would say this is obviously the peak of my career, because being in this position to race together with a guy that I consider probably the best, if not the best, I would ever see. Yeah, that sums it all up.”

As for what he’s spotted from Verstappen that has most impressed him, Juncadella pointed to a fundamental lack of ego creating a hard-working attitude to go alongside the “natural talent”.

“He’s just incredibly talented, his feel of where the limit of the car is from the first day,” Juncadella said.

“His ability to give feedback on certain areas of the car that he doesn’t know, his technical feedback, there’s just a lot of things and many things that we can learn from him.

“Also his approach, he has a non-ego approach on this championship, and on these cars. He’s not thinking that he’s a four-time world champion, he’s just very honest about everything.”

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