Max Verstappen’s Nurburgring 24 Hours teammate changes his mind about F1 star’s ‘surprising’ skill

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Daniel Juncadella has now praised Max Verstappen for his ability to manage traffic at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, despite recently claiming that his skill is “nothing special”.

Verstappen is making his debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours this week, as part of a four-man driver line-up including Juncadella. He will also be sharing a Mercedes GT3 EVO with Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon in the Pro category of the SP9 class, and will attempt to win the race.

Four-time F1 champion Verstappen is the first active Formula 1 driver to take part in the N24 for many a year – often due to clashes between the date of the endurance classic and the F1 calendar. He has already got his eye in around the Nordschleife with a few races in the NSL.

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Max Verstappen’s traffic management ‘makes the difference’ at the Nurburgring

Verstappen impressed many during his appearances in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie, with his ability to negotiate traffic at the Nurburgring one aspect that stood out in the NSL5 race this April. Even Juncadella praised Verstappen for how he dealt with the slower drivers.

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

Juncadella initially suggested that Verstappen used a “trick” to managing traffic around the Nurburgring. Yet after his comment gained traction, Juncadella suggested that Verstappen’s “trick” was “nothing special” as it came from his ability to influence how an F1 car behaves.

However, ahead of this weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours, Juncadella has praised Verstappen for his “surprising” ability to manage traffic around the Green Hell. The Spaniard even says it is “incredible” how quickly Verstappen adapted to driving a GT3 car around the Nurburgring.

Juncadella told Mundo Deportivo: “Surprised? It’s not that it’s a surprise, but, obviously, his ability to adapt so quickly to the car is still amazing. It’s incredible. He’s someone who has a lot of natural talent.

“From the second or third lap of the circuit, you could already see that he was right there in terms of times. It’s something that is very surprising.

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“And also his traffic management. The risks he takes here and there are always quite surprising. So, that’s a big point that I think really makes the difference with other drivers who may be just as fast, but don’t have as much ability to read the traffic.”

Traffic management is of vital significance during the Nurburgring 24 Hours owing to the mix of classes that compete in the endurance race. Verstappen will be competing in the top tier and will regularly find himself catching slower cars around one of the most daunting circuits.

It has been suggested that Red Bull have let Verstappen race at the Nurburgring to avoid his exit from the Formula 1 team at the end of this year. While his deal runs through 2028, the release clause in the Dutchman’s deal is likely to become available from the summer break.