‘Something quite special’ – Secret Max Verstappen ‘trick’ emerges after Nurburgring DSQ

Max Verstappen says becoming “comfortable and confident to attack” in traffic is one of the key reasons behind his decision to enter a series of warm-up races ahead of the Nurburgring 24 hours.

It comes after one of Verstappen’s GT3 teammates, Daniel Juncadella, spotted “a nice trick” deployed by the four-time F1 world champion during his recent NLS appearance.

Max Verstappen ‘trick’ impresses at Nurburgring

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Verstappen announced last month that he will compete in the iconic Nurburgring 24 hours in May in the latest step in his burgeoning endurance racing career.

The Red Bull driver’s preparations for the big race began with a trip to the Nordschleife for an NLS race last month.

Sharing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with Juncadella and Jules Gounon, Verstappen dominated by converting pole position into victory by almost a minute.

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However, the trio were disqualified after the race having been found to have used seven sets of tyres – one more than the permitted maximum of six – across qualifying and the race combined.

Verstappen confirmed last week that he will return to the Nurburgring later this month for the 24-hour qualifiers, which had originally been scheduled to clash with the cancelled Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Speaking at the recent Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen explained his GT3 appearances are targeted at ensuring that he is up to speed with the demands of endurance racing ahead of the Nurburgring 24 hours.

He went on to admit that he “felt like a rookie” while performing mid-race driver changes during pit stops.

Verstappen said: “As a team, of course, the target is to win the 24.

“That’s what we’re preparing for and that’s why these races are great to do.

“We were lucky with the weather and then it’s all about just trying to get the car in the right window. You need to feel comfortable and confident to attack, not only by yourself with one lap but in traffic as well.

“Choosing the right tyre compounds, that is all what you are doing it for really. And for me, of course, getting to know the team.

“Doing pit stops, I felt like a rookie. You jump out of the car, you need to help your teammate getting strapped in – I never really did any of that.

“So getting to understand the car a little bit more with procedures, because I’ve driven quite a lot of different kind of GT cars as well over the last few months, so just really getting dialled in with that.

“That’s why I’m doing these races before the 24.”

Christopher Haase, a long-term Audi endurance driver, commented after the NLS race that Verstappen’s “precision in the dirty air is something else” before admitting: “I’ve rarely seen anyone tuck in and stay pinned in the wake of another car like Max does.”

Juncadella, the Aston Martin F1 simulator driver and an experienced endurance racer, revealed that he was taken aback by how well his teammate Verstappen adapted to racing in traffic during the recent NLS race.

And he claimed that Verstappen “did something quite special” with a “nice trick” even regular endurance drivers would not normally consider.

Juncadella told Motorsport.com: “It was impressive to see how well he understood how to stay that close to Christopher. It was his first time ever having to race like that in a GT3 car on this track.

“He actually did something quite special that we talked about after the race.

“It’s something I would have never thought of myself – and I’ve been driving GT cars for a long time.

“I’m not going to tell you what it is as I’d rather keep that to myself.

“It’s a nice trick he found out. Maybe I’ll tell you someday.”

On Verstappen’s overall performance at the Nurburgring, he added: “It’s not so much about his driving style; it’s the sheer confidence that he has to jump into a car you barely know, on a track that demands absolute self-confidence.

“And he was on pace from Friday practice onwards and in the race as well.”

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