Max Verstappen seems to have his own idea of rest during a free weekend. With no Formula 1 racing until Imola, the Dutchman chose to take part in a different racing experience by secretly joining a test session at the challenging Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
Max Verstappen drove a Ferrari 296 GT3 belonging to the Emil Frey Racing team, a team linked to Thierry Vermeulen, a promising GT talent and son of Max’s personal manager, Raymond Vermeulen. The most curious detail? To avoid raising suspicion, the Red Bull driver is said to have used the pseudonym “Franz Hermann.”
Despite efforts to keep everything under wraps, including banning photographers from the track, the Red Bull driver’s identity didn’t escape the sharpest eyes. He was allegedly given away by his personalized helmet and race suit—clear clues of his presence. The news quickly spread online and sparked discussions among fans and insiders.
Max Verstappen’s interest in the GT racing world seems far from a passing whim. The driver has expressed a desire to obtain an official license to race in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, the famous endurance championship held on the “Green Hell.” A possible hint about the Dutch champion’s post-F1 future?
“I knew that once I was there, people would figure it out. That’s normal. But at least I wasn’t on the entry list. I was there last week and there was no official timing, as is usually the case on Fridays at the NLS,” Verstappen told media in Imola ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix..
“Yes, it’s true, I set the lap record. But I wasn’t there to prove I could break a lap record or any other record. I was just having fun and getting familiar with the track, together with the team, also with Emil Frey.”
“They had already been there. Their dream is to take part in the 24 Hours there. So yes, we had fun getting into the rhythm. We were also lucky with the conditions: it was really nice and sunny, so it’s fantastic when you get that,” he added.
Future away from F1? Max Verstappen’s words
And on the possibility of seeing him in another category in the future? Here’s how the Dutchman replied: “I’d like to do the 24 Hours in the future. That’s why I’m doing all these things: to prepare myself. It’s a way to gain some experience. So in the future I won’t need to do it.”
“This year we’re also working with the GT3 team. I want to gather more information for myself too. In the end, it’s a personal passion. The simulator has helped me a lot. I’ve done thousands of laps on that track. For me, once I was there, it was mainly about understanding the grip level, the right timing for acceleration, and the car’s handling,” he said.
Despite the media buzz, the four-time world champion is now focused again on the ongoing championship. This weekend Max Verstappen will be racing in the Imola GP, where Red Bull has introduced important technical upgrades. He has won the last three editions at this track, but a fourth in a row is under threat from McLaren’s superiority and world championship leader Oscar Piastri.
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