Max Verstappen visited the Fuji Speedway ahead of the Japanese GP, where he did some test laps in a Super GT car. Last week, Red Bull published a full video of the outing. It showed how Verstappen quickly went under the time of an experienced Super GT driver on the soaking wet circuit. His performance immediately caused a stir in the motorsport world, although Super GT driver João Paulo Oliveira made an important remark.
At Fuji, Verstappen took on Super GT driver Atsushi Miyake during a promotional stunt. Both got behind the wheel of a Nissan Z NISMO GT500 car and braved the rain on the Japanese circuit. Within two laps, the Dutchman was already two seconds faster than his more experienced competitor. Because of this, the video went viral across the internet and Verstappen received much praise. Miyake, in turn, showed himself to be a sporting loser. “He is a world champion for a reason,” the Japanese driver laughed at the end of the video.
Super GT colleague João Paulo Oliveira is less impressed by the Red Bull driver’s outing. Via social media, he made an important remark about the video. “Last night a GT500 video of Verstappen was released,” the Brazilian wrote on X. “In situations where the circuit continuously changes due to wet conditions, lap times can differ by two seconds within a few minutes. Yet the impression was given that he (Verstappen, ed.) was two seconds faster than a Super GT driver in just a few laps, which is not true. Even in promotional material, I believe there should be respect for Super GT and the active drivers,” he concluded critically.
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