Max Verstappen shares why he wouldn’t drive an F1 car at the Nordschleife after ‘perfect’ GT4 debut

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen proved how much he loves racing beyond Formula 1 at the Nordschleife on Saturday.

Max Verstappen has made it clear for a long time how interested he is in taking part in racing series beyond Formula 1 in his career.

Verstappen was briefly banned from sim racing by Red Bull after taking part in a 24-hour race during last year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

This season, Verstappen took part in a GT3 test under the pseudonym Franz Hermann, setting some incredible times at the Nurburgring.

This weekend, in one of the final gaps in the Formula 1 calendar before the end of the season, he got his chance to tackle the Nordschleife.

Although he didn’t initially qualify for the license required to take part in a 24-hour race, Verstappen was later granted permission based on the laps he did for Lionspeed GP.

The Nordschleife is one of Europe’s most iconic tracks, but Verstappen has now explained why he wouldn’t want to tackle it in a Formula 1 car.

READ MORE: Best moments of Max Verstappen’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win, title and more

Max Verstappen says the Nordschleife is too ‘risky’ to be a Formula 1 circuit

Speaking after his outing on Saturday, via F1 Insider, Verstappen said: “I wouldn’t want to drive there with these cars. The GT3 speed is perfect. Anything above that is a bit risky.”

The 27-year-old had to drive a lower-power car in his first run and completed 14 laps without any issues.

However, to earn a full licence automatically, Verstappen had to repeat the feat in a second car.

Unfortunately, his teammate crashed during the race, and despite getting back to the pit lane and efforts to repair the car, Verstappen was unable to complete his second run.

Despite this, Verstappen was awarded a DMSB Permit A, which now allows him to race in top-level cars, including the GT3 class in the future.

The Nordschleife makes up part of the Nurburgring, which has hosted 41 Grand Prix in the history of Formula 1.

Michael Schumacher won a record five races at the Nurburgring; however, the full Nordschleife was last used by F1 in 1976.

James Hunt won that day, but it also marked the near-fatal accident of Niki Lauda, who had previously had concerns about the safety conditions.

The likes of Ronnie Peterson, Patrick Depailler and Vittorio Brambilla also had accidents that weekend, bringing an end to the Nordschleife’s involvement in Formula 1.

READ MORE: Martin Brundle called Max Verstappen a ‘megastar’ in the making after he did one thing in his rookie season

Helmut Marko and Ralf Schumacher react to Max Verstappen’s GT4 debut

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko previously suggested Verstappen couldn’t take part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, but his stance on the subject has since softened.

After Saturday’s run, he said to F1 Insider: “Despite the terrible bureaucracy at the Nurburgring, he is extremely positive and goes along with everything. He doesn’t want any special treatment for himself.

“That’s another thing that sets him apart.”

Ralf Schumacher was also unimpressed when finding out that Verstappen hadn’t initially earned the required permit to race in the most powerful GT3 cars.

He said: “Wild cards also exist in other sports. Max is currently the best racing driver in the world.

“So you can definitely trust him to master the Nordschleife even without special driving lessons.

“Especially since he has already proven this in previous test drives, which the Nurburgring has also been keen to market.”