After several NLS races and countless training laps, Max Verstappen faces the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this weekend. On the virtual asphalt, he has already won the endurance classic once, but of course, that is nothing compared to the real thing, as drivers Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tom Coronel also know. Both have raced the event multiple times and will be participating again this weekend. In the podcast Formula 1 Paddock Talk, they assess Verstappen’s chances.
Read more ‘Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in conversation about driver change’
“Of course, it’s great that he’s participating,” says Bleekemolen, who won the 24-hour race once in 2013. “You’re already racing Formula 1 and then you do this on the side. Don’t forget that he also has to put a lot of time into this: he has raced those other events, obtained his licenses; that’s just fantastic. And, I also texted Jos (Verstappen, ed.) about this: here too, he’s just that little bit faster than the rest. He’s really better, and that surprised me.”
“At the Nürburgring, you have to be an allround driver; everything has to be right,” adds Coronel. “In that, you can see that Verstappen, with all his dedication and the time he has invested, has prepared very well.” Still, both drivers want to emphasize that the 24 Hours of Nürburgring remains a survival race, where you must always be on your guard. “It remains a difficult game: how much risk do you dare to take?” says Bleekemolen. “That’s what I find so impressive about Verstappen. In traffic, he waits for his chances very well. If I overtake cars like that, I’d end up in a tree,” jokes the former winner, “but he gets away with it. He knows exactly where the limit is.”
Read more Schumacher advises Hamilton and Alonso: ‘Time to give up the seat to younger drivers’
Advantage
Coronel does add an important caveat: “He also has the advantage that he’s driving that Mercedes with Red Bull colors,” he explains. “Everyone immediately thinks: ‘Oh, there’s Max.’ It’s different for you and me. But as soon as you see that Red Bull car, you know Max is in it and that he’s fast. Because that team – apart from this event – is so incredibly well known, they gain an important advantage from that. Everyone thinks: ‘There’s Max, I’ll get out of the way because he’s faster anyway.’”
The key question: does Verstappen also have a chance of winning? “In principle, there are about fifteen teams that can win,” says Coronel. “But Verstappen is guaranteed to be on the podium; he’s definitely competing at the front. And is there a chance he wins it? A thousand percent.” Listen to the full podcast here on the website or via your favorite podcast platform such as Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Or watch the video of this episode on YouTube. Don’t forget to subscribe there so you won’t miss any future episodes!
Read more How Vasseur urged Ferrari to innovate more: ‘They initially took hardly any risks’
Watch the video of Formula 1 Paddock Talk here:
You can change your choices at any time by clicking “Cookie settings” at the bottom of the site.”
Read everything about the GP Canada here
