‘Off’ Max Verstappen footage sparks demand for more ‘respect’

A Super GT veteran has called for the series and its drivers to be shown more “respect” after complaining that a Red Bull promotional clip involving Max Verstappen felt “somewhat off.”

Verstappen was spotted testing a Red Bull-branded Super GT car in the wet at Fuji Speedway ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in March.

Max Verstappen clip ‘somewhat off’ after Super GT outing

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The final product – an eight-minute promotional video – was released by Red Bull last week, showing Verstappen taking part in a challenge.

Verstappen was tasked with matching or beating a lap time set by Super GT regular Atsushi Miyake, who won at Fuji in 2024 en route to third in the drivers’ standings.

Miyake set a fastest lap of 1:44.075 with Verstappen lapping within a tenth of the Japanese driver’s benchmark on his first effort.

Verstappen then bettered Miyake’s time by going 1.785 seconds faster than the Super GT driver on his next lap.

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Fellow Super GT driver João Paulo de Oliveira has taken exception to the video, claiming it showed a lack of respect to drivers in the Japanese series.

In a post to social media, the Brazilian – who has competed in the category since 2006 – wrote: “In wet conditions where the track surface is constantly changing, lap times can fluctuate by nearly two seconds in just a few minutes.

“Yet, the way it was presented – as if he were nearly two seconds faster than a Super GT driver after just a few laps – feels somewhat off.

“I believe that even in promotional material, respect for Super GT and its current drivers is essential.”

Miyake himself did not appear to share his rival’s view, commenting after Verstappen beat his time: “He’s a champion, a world champion.

“By sharing the same car, I was able to see just how amazing his driving was and that was extremely exciting.”

Verstappen, who stalled the car twice before making it out on track, quipped at one stage during the challenge: “You know these guys are racing these things the whole year round? If I’m not beating him, I’m going to cut the corners…”

Speaking after seeing off Miyake’s best lap time, he said: “It was just getting a bit tricky to push.

“After I saw my first lap, I was like: ‘I can do a bit better than that.’

“So I did the 42 and then it really started raining and in some of the corners it was quite tricky.”

Verstappen added that he is hopeful of returning to Fuji in 2027 to recreate the challenge in dry conditions.

He said: “I was just staring at the slick tyres. Hopefully next year it can be done.”

Verstappen’s burgeoning endurance career will step up a level this weekend as he makes his debut in the prestigious Nurburgring 24 Hours.

The four-time F1 world champion confirmed his decision to enter the endurance classic in March, 24 hours after the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen will share a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella.

The 28-year-old has appeared in a number of warm-up events at the Nordschleife over recent months in preparation for the 24-hour race.

Verstappen, Gounon and Juncadella took victory in an NLS race in March before being disqualified for a tyre-related infringement.

The trio were found to have used seven sets of tyres – one more than the permitted maximum of six – across qualifying and the race combined.

Verstappen returned to the Nurburgring during F1’s extended break last month, partnering Auer for the Nurburgring 24 Hour qualifiers.

The pair were hit with a grid penalty after Auer caused a collision with another car in the first qualifying session of the weekend, before the race was stopped following an accident that claimed the life of veteran racer Juha Miettinen.

In the second race the following day, Verstappen and Auer were in the hunt for victory before being forced to pit for repairs.

They were eventually classified in 39th place.

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