Max Verstappen counters criticism of test drive on the Nordschleife – Diepresse.com
« This is my passion, and in the end it’s my private life, » said the Dutch in front of the Grand Prix in Imola. Verstappen had surprisingly appeared on the Nordschleife in the previous week and anonymously driven with a Ferrari sports car.
Despite the vertebrae for his rapid sports car test drive at the Nürburgring, Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen does not want to be forbidden on the racetrack. « This is my passion, and in the end it’s my private life, » said the Dutch in front of the Grand Prix in Imola. Verstappen surprisingly appeared on the NLS long-distance series on the Nordschleife on the training day and driven there with a Ferrari sports car.
Verstappen had registered specially under the pseudonym « Franz Hermann » to avoid possible hype. « This is just a very German name, » said the 27-year-old. Verstappen assured that he was even faster than the current round record for sports cars in this class. « But that’s not why I was there. I wanted to have fun. We had a good time, » said the four-time Formula 1 world champion.
Ralf Schumacher: « Not very intelligent »
Ex-racing driver Ralf Schumacher had criticized Verstappen’s excursion as a « not very intelligent ». « If I were a team boss, I would have asked Verstappen if he still had his cups in the cupboard in the right order, » said TV expert Schumacher in a Sky Podcast. The Nordschleife is dangerous.
Verstappen, on the other hand, will soon return to the old Nürburgring and is also planning to use the 24-hour race for the future. « That’s why I do it all to prepare a little, » said the Red Bull Pilot. In addition, he had already spent thousands of hours in the simulator on the Nordschleife. (APA/dpa)
