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Max Verstappen's close aide Helmut Marko has revealed that the Dutch driver broke a record by 2 seconds after just three laps during the GT racing test at Nurburgring. The Red Bull driver caught the attention of a lot of people over the last week when he was spotted testing his GT3 Ferrari at Nurburgring under the pseudonym Franz Hermann.
Max Verstappen has been quite vocal about his interest in racing other cars and other motorsports, and he spends a lot of time sim racing. This is also evident in the fact that he owns Team Redline, a sim racing outfit, as well. As part of a private test, the driver was at Nurburgring last week, and according to Helmut Marko, the Dutch driver beat the record by 2 seconds within the first three laps.
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Talking about the Dutch driver's exploits, Helmut Marko told Kronen Zeitung how GT racing is Max Verstappen's great love and something he continues to dabble in from time to time. Talking about the details that the Red Bull driver was obsessed with, Marco revealed,
“GT racing is his great love and he has his own team. He told me that he beat a record by two seconds after just three laps, knew every one of his lap times and everything about the suspension. He was almost more into the details than he was with his Formula 1 car.”
Marko also pointed out that the Dutch driver's love for racing can be seen in the manner in which he's trying to build a feeder series for upcoming drivers through simulation racing. He said,
“He runs a sim racing team and now he wants to put one of his best drivers in a GT car. That's active promotion of young talent. Because nowadays a whole season in karting costs a quarter of a million euros."
He added,
“And what does the equipment for sim racing cost? Maybe €30,000 to €50,000 in total. Max also develops software for the simulators used by Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams.”
Rob Smedley tells Mercedes to go for Max Verstappen
Amongst all of the off-track stuff that Max Verstappen does, his future at Red Bull continues to be a sticking point for many. One of the teams where he could go is Mercedes, but the German team has George Russell, whose contract ends at the end of 2025. Rob Smedley was questioned on what he would do, and the former Ferrari fan felt that he would go for the Dutch driver, he told the F1 Nation podcast.
“Oh, that’s a very, very tough question because you’ve got a four-time world champion who is a guy who is one of those very, very special drivers and there’s very few of them who can drive over and above what the car can actually deliver,” “And he did that on Saturday in Miami and he did that at the start of the race."
He added,
“So if I was in a position to make this decision, which is what you’re actually asking me, would I want Max Verstappen in my car over anybody else on the grid right now? Yeah, 100% I would. No doubt.”
This weekend, Max Verstappen heads to Imola, a race he's won three times in a row. The Dutch driver would be hoping to have a stronger weekend here compared to the one in Miami.
