Ahead of the Imola GP, Max Verstappen has opened up about his recent GT3 outing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where he took part in an official Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) test under the alias “Franz Hermann”.
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion piloted Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3—machinery the Swiss squad typically fields in DTM—with rumours suggesting he was immediately on the pace. Verstappen later confirmed that he had indeed gone faster than the current GT3 lap record for the NLS, a 7m49.578s benchmark set by Christian Krognes.
“They asked me for a fake name, so I said let’s make it as German as we can,” Verstappen explained in his written media session at Imola, referencing his decision to compete under a pseudonym at Nürburgring Nordschleife. “Then you’re not on the entry list. Otherwise, people wake up at 8am knowing that my name is on it; I knew that once I was there that people would realise. It’s normal. But at least I wasn’t on the entry list. So at least at 8, 9am it was pretty calm.”
Nürburgring lap record “wasn’t the point”
Although he broke the Nürburgring lap record, Verstappen was quick to downplay any talk of record-chasing.
“I was [faster than the NLS GT3 lap record], but I’m not there to show that I can break a lap record or whatever record. I was just having fun and learning the track together with the team.”
Verstappen emphasised that the test had more to do with gathering experience and aiding Emil Frey Racing’s potential future ambitions at the circuit—particularly the iconic Nürburgring 24 Hours.
“With Emil Frey as well, they weren’t there before, so for them also the dream is to do 24 hours there,” he said. “We just had a good time getting up to speed; we were lucky with the conditions as well. It was really nice and sunny. So that’s great if you can have that.”
The Dutchman admitted that taking part in the 24-hour race is a long-term goal, and that outings like this one form part of his preparation.
“I would like to do that in the future. That’s why I’m doing all these things—to prepare a bit, get a bit of experience. So, you don’t need to do that in the future.
“It’s my passion. I’m running this year also with the GT3 team, I want to gather also more information for myself. And at the end of the day, it’s my private time.”
To compete officially in GT3 machinery on the Nordschleife, Verstappen would require a DMSB Permit. This would normally necessitate working his way through the various categories unless a special exemption were granted.
“Thousands” of sim laps before touching tarmac
Verstappen revealed that he had done extensive simulator training ahead of the test, giving him a strong foundation before even setting foot on the actual track.
“I’ve done thousands of laps around there,” he said. “So for me, when I got there in real life, it was more knowing the grip level of the new tarmac in places, and then the grip level of the car.
“Of course, a few barriers here and there are modified a bit. The most important is that you know exactly where you’re going. And that I knew already.”
Despite the thrill of testing at such a demanding circuit, Verstappen reaffirmed that Formula 1 still provides the biggest rush.
“[I still get more adrenaline from] F1. At the same time, I also had a lot of fun out there. But it’s testing. So, you’re always a bit more relaxed anyway.
“It was a full day with every car, tow trucks, everything. But [the traffic] was fine. It’s not like that’s the first time for me as well. You know, on the sim you have the same with slow categories.”
Verstappen concluded, “You have to take your time, know where you can pass or not. You don’t want to be too off line as well. But it was fun, and I had a good time.”
