Max Verstappen has dismissed the idea that his stellar debut GT3 win at the Nurburgring necessarily means it makes him a better Formula 1 driver.
After years of expressing his desire to compete in sports cars, Verstappen finally took the plunge as he competed in the ninth-round of the NLS [Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie] last week.
The four-time World Champion partnered Chris Lulham — his Team Redline sim racing team-mate — in Verstappen.com and Red Bull-liveried Emil-Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 and stormed to victory in the four-hour race.
Coming into the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, the Dutchman was quizzed on whether his dominant win in a completely different category of motor racing makes him a “better” F1 driver.
And while Verstappen was pleased about his efforts at the Nurburgring, he explained that his time on the simulator in GT3 cars meant he didn’t really feel like he has expanded his horizons as a racing driver after his exploits in the real world.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. Been preparing for that, of course, for a while,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“And yeah, it’s just two very nice days. Again, you know, racing a bit in the wet and the dry. Just getting more and more experience was nice. And then, of course, to win it, yeah, that’s an extra bonus.
“But does it make me a better driver? I mean, I’ve been doing this already for so many years on the simulator.
“So for me, doing it now in real life is not very, very different. But it definitely doesn’t hurt. I think I can say that.”
F1 rookies react to the Verstappen Nurburgring triumph
Verstappen was pretty upbeat about how he fared in the GT3 category. He ended up quickest in a field of 110 cars, nine cars racing in the same category as him (the SP9).
The 67-time Grand Prix winner might not rate his exploits as highly as it is being purported, but the rookies on the grid have hailed the 28-year-old’s prowess behind the wheel of any racing car.
Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who has featured with Verstappen and Lulham on Team Redline’s streams, commended the duo’s efforts.
“No, I’m not surprised. He’s winning in F1, why wouldn’t he win in GT3,” the Brazilian told media including Motorsport Week when asked if Verstappen’s win surprised him.
“It’s obviously different categories, but I think he already beat the record in Nordschleife unofficially previously, so I expected him to do well in the race and he did.
“Not only him, but a very good job from his teammate, a good friend of mine as well, Chris Lulham. He did an amazing job coming from the Sim War to the real track.”
Bortoleto’s midfield rival Oliver Bearman was also in awe of Verstappen’s driving at the Nurburgring.
“I watched some highlights and I also watched his pole lap where he had to overtake a car on the grass. It was pretty cool,” he revealed.
When asked if this inspired him to take up GT racing himself, he divulged how he had already toyed with the idea himself.
“I would love to. I mean, I love driving and GT is, I think, quite useful for anyone to drive because everything is a bit more spread out,” explained the Briton.
“You know, the corner is twice or three times as long as it is in F1 so it gives you more time to focus on your technique and like braking is such an important thing in F1.”
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