Max Verstappen has reacted for the first time to his team’s disqualification following his last race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Dutchman traveled to the notorious German circuit the weekend before the GP Japan, where the NLS2 race took place. The four-time world champion won this preparatory race for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, but was later disqualified along with his team. However, Verstappen thoroughly enjoyed the racing weekend: ‘The mistake actually sharpened the team up again’.
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Max Verstappen swapped his Formula 1 car for a GT car last weekend and participated in the NLS2 race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. And successfully so. The Dutchman won the preparatory race for the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring with his team, but was later disqualified. The team had used too many tire sets on Saturday at the famous ‘Green Hell’.
Verstappen reacts for the first time to the disqualification during the media day for the GP Japan. “All in all, it was a great weekend,” the four-time world champion tells the media present at Suzuka. “We really had a good time together, also with my teammates. Of course, we made a small mistake during pit stop practice, where an extra set of tires was put on the car. But apart from that, the race went quite well.” Verstappen even sees a small silver lining to the disqualification. “It’s a shame that we made that mistake, but on the other hand, it actually sharpens the team up again. Maybe they needed that a bit.”
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‘Every time I got out of the car, I was smiling’
The driver also greatly enjoyed his racing weekend at the Nordschleife. “The overall work experience was really very good,” Verstappen continues. “The engineers within the team also work professionally. They know what they’re doing and have had a lot of success in GT racing for quite some time. For me personally, it was an incredibly fun weekend. It’s impossible to compare with anything else, but I’ve wanted to do this for a while. It’s really something I have a lot of fun with. Every time I got out of the car, I was smiling, and that’s always a good sign.”
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Read everything about the GP Japan here
