Max Verstappen’s team targets Nürburgring win as ‘Green Hell’ verdict delivered

Verstappen Racing is hoping the Nürburgring Nordschleife will “take care of us”, as Max Verstappen’s team has outlined its targets for the 24-hour race.

The Dutch driver joins Daniel Juncadella, Lucas Auer, and Jules Gounon as the four-man squad racing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Verstappen Racing entry.

Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring team outlines 24-hour race ambitions

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While Juncadella, Auer, and Gounon are all experienced endurance sports car racers, Verstappen is taking part in his first blue riband endurance event at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

His squad lines up in fourth place on the grid, with Juncadella having taken care of the crucial runs in the defining Top Qualifying 3 session on Friday – the Spanish driver will also be the man behind the wheel for the first stint.

With Verstappen opting against any media interviews or opportunities this weekend, his teammates have been bearing the weight of the interest surrounding the entry and, on Friday evening, PlanetF1.com had the chance to speak with both Juncadella and Gounon in the Verstappen Racing garage.

With a decent grid position secured for the start of the endurance race, the car is undoubtedly one of the contenders for the outright victory, even with Verstappen’s inexperience at events of this type.

His endurance preparations have consisted of a series of four-hour events in recent months, with his attempt at gaining nighttime experience at the NLS5 last month called off due to the cancellation of the race following the tragic fatal accident involving Juha Miettinen, although he managed some time behind the wheel in the wet and dark conditions in Qualifying 2 on Thursday night.

Verstappen boasts plenty of experience in endurance sim racing, which former F1 driver Timo Glock explained to PlanetF1.com on Thursday will stand to him in real life, and the Dutch driver’s teammate agreed that the dark shouldn’t have an effect on Verstappen’s competitiveness.

“I don’t think many things have an effect on Max, to be honest!” he laughed.

“The more I see him drive, the more I see how incredible he is. And yesterday [Thursday] he didn’t have the best experience yet. You go out, it’s raining like crazy.

“There was a bit of fog, there was a steam from the tarmac from the rain, so he didn’t have the best experience yet, but I think he will get to it in the race.

“He’s young, he has good vision! I’m pretty sure he’s gonna be okay. So it’s just for him, it’s gonna be something new, which is quite funny for a four-time F1 World Champion to go somewhere and say I’m a rookie, and also for us to give advice to him is something pretty special.”

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Juncadella explained that the team had hit its target of making it into the top five for the start, which he achieved via his two-lap run in TQ3.

“It was a good session, I mean, our goal was obviously to be in the top five, if possible, because, even if it’s a 24-hour race, it’s good to be in the front group,” he said.

“A lot of things can happen early in the race, so this race is all about staying with the leaders as much as you can.

“Yeah, we had a shot, obviously, at pole as well. We’ve been competitive all week, all the preparation races, unfortunately only fourth, but I’m really happy with that effort.

“It was a tricky session with some slippery patches. Yeah, we maximised it, and that’s very good for tomorrow.”

The main strength of the entry, Gounon reckons, lies in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which he said is a car with no discernible weak points.

“The Mercedes AMG is a very good all-around car,” he said.

“I’ve had the chance to drive many GT3 cars in my career, probably nine different brands. The car is never, let’s say, the best in any department, but she’s always in the top three, which means the, let’s say, the grip or the braking is in the top three, the feeling of the power steering is the top three.

“The aerodynamics of the car is in the top three, like everything is really, really good, and it makes it such a good all-around car. So I think that’s the strongest part of the car. Of course, I love our V8 engine, to be honest, it has a lot of torque. It’s a very special sonority of it, the fans love it also!

“So that’s the part I like the most. But the car has been such a strong element for nearly 10 years now, 10 years actually, when it had success here in 2016.”

Juncadella said, “I fully agree. I think it’s a car that is never outstanding anywhere in particular, but it’s never bad.

“It’s a very versatile car. You probably never have the quickest of speed, never have the quickest cornering speed, but you’re just very good everywhere, and that’s some of the strengths of this car – that gives you a chance to win in every race you participate, every kind of track.

“Of course, at the Nordschleife, I think it’s one of the strongest cars as well, and it’s a very nice car to drive.”

As for the target for the race, is it simply about survival, making it to the chequered flag, or can the squad dream of victory?

“The target… I always approach these races focusing on myself, trying to get the most out of it, trying to build a good team together,” Juncadella said.

“The dream is to win, I would say that, and I can only be happy if we are winning this race on Sunday, for sure.”

Gounon summed up, “I’m pretty sure that Max doesn’t come just for a podium, but, at the end of the day, you need to be very humble.

“I really truly believe that in a place like the Nordschleife, which has an aura, which is something special, the place chooses its winner.

“So I just hope that the Green Hell is going to take care of us, and maybe, Sunday afternoon, we can have a big, big smile on our face.”

With the Verstappen Racing garage constantly surrounded by fans, eager to catch a glimpse of the Red Bull F1 driver, his three teammates’ own profiles have been boosted by association.

As part of the line-up aiding Verstappen in his quest to kick off his endurance racing career with success, Gounon said he’s not finding the pressure overwhelming.

“This race has always been with a lot of fans.  Of course, with Max coming, it’s something even worse, like normally it doesn’t take you five minutes to enter the box, because there’s so many people in front of the box!

But it’s something different, and for me it’s not overwhelming, it’s just so nice to see people so passionate, and I think also in Formula 1, sometimes it’s hard to be close to your idols for some people, because you don’t have access to the ticket, it’s very expensive, and now a lot of people are here to see Max up close, and I think that’s super cool for somebody that’s a motorsport fan.”

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