Max Verstappen warned against being ‘too slow’ on Nurburgring 24 Hours debut

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Jeroen Bleekemolen thinks Max Verstappen must “push 100%” at all times and “take risks”, otherwise he will have zero chance to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours on debut.

Verstappen is set to make his debut in the N24 this weekend in a Mercedes GT3 EVO that he is sharing with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The Dutchman is racing in his own team in the Pro category of the SP9 class, which is likely to yield the outright winner.

Red Bull F1 driver Verstappen got his eye in ahead of the Nurburgring 24 Hours by racing in Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) over the past year. He even won on his GT3 debut at the Nordschleife last September and was disqualified after taking another NLS win in March.

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Max Verstappen cannot ‘take it easier’ or he will have no chance to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Tom Coronel even claims Verstappen’s team are “guaranteed” a podium in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, but he doubts the Mercedes GT3 EVO will be a quick enough package to rival the BMW M4 GT3 EVO for the win. Bleekemolen also thinks fine margins could decide the race.

READ MORE: The best moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

Bleekemolen, who won the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2013, told RacingNews365: “One small mistake, by a teammate or by him, and it’s all over. There’s no safety car there, so if you lose a minute or two for whatever reason, the race is over.”

But while Bleekemolen highlights the consequences that Verstappen and his team may face with any mistakes, he adds that the Dutchman cannot be cautious as he will then risk being “too slow” to have any chance of winning the Nurburgring 24 Hours on debut this weekend.

“No,” he added. “You actually have to drive at the limit. You’ve got those 30 GT3 cars and there are always about five or six that get through the whole race without any problems.

“If you start taking it a bit easier by taking fewer risks, you’ll be too slow and you won’t win. So, you have to push 100% and take risks, even in traffic.”

Stepping into endurance and GT3 racing has given Verstappen a break from his misery in F1 this year, as the four-time Formula 1 champion detests the new engine regulations. His wish to debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours has also been very beneficial for the endurance event.

On top of Verstappen bringing a new energy to the Nurburgring 24 Hours, his entry for this year’s race helped the event to sell-out all weekend tickets for the first time. The race has been held on the iconic Nordschleife since 1970, and last saw a Mercedes car win in 2016.