This weekend Max Verstappen debuts in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Nordschleife experts Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tom Coronel find it unique that he is participating, but fully understand the choice of the Red Bull driver. “He is currently not enjoying F1 that much and then you look for another thrill,” says Coronel in the podcast Formula 1 Paddock Talk.
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“Isn’t it amazing that Max Verstappen is just taking part?”, Bleekemolen starts. “Unbelievable. Because you race Formula 1, and then you add this on top. And you also have to put time into it. You have to do those races beforehand and get your license. And what I find unique is that he is also just a bit better than the rest at the Nürburgring. I did not expect that.”
“At the Nürburgring you have to be an all-round driver. You have to be smart, fast, sharp and skillful. Everything has to be right. And then you see that Max has prepared well at the right moment for this. In such a way that he does not look foolish,” adds Coronel. “He is doing well and is fast. But he will experience it for the first time and that is always a little bit exciting.”
That the four-time world champion is at the start of this legendary race is, according to Coronel, a no-brainer. “I understand why he is doing it, because he is not enjoying F1 that much anymore. Then you look for another thrill. Then you take the most extreme there is in that area. That is the Nürburgring, during the 24-hour race and in the coolest car. It doesn’t get more extreme than this and then your racing heart is completely in the bouncing zone.”
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Also read: First 24-hour race for Max Verstappen! Read everything about the 24 hours of the Nürburgring here
