Verstappen at the Nordschleife
How do you race at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring? The advice to give to a four-time Formula 1 world champion like Max Verstappen can almost take a back seat for the Dutch Red Bull driver, who will take part in the prestigious race in the Green Hell of the Nordschleife in mid-May. Added to this are the two participations in the 4 Hours of Nürburgring in the last two years, both won by Verstappen himself (only to then suffer a disqualification in the last edition), but the upcoming 24 Hours behind the wheel of the Mercedes GT3 will mark his absolute debut in full endurance races.
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Who can give him advice?
The most appropriate advice to best face this type of competition was given by another driver currently present in the world of Formula 1, but not behind the wheel of a single-seater: Bernd Mayländer. The German won the 24 Hours in 2000 before embarking on a new adventure in the Circus as the Safety Car driver, with whom he recently reached 500 GPs: “I follow everything he does at the Nürburgring – he commented in an interview with RacingNews365 – it’s fantastic to have a Formula 1 champion participating in the 24 Hours. It’s good for the sport, for the fans, and for the championship. I tried to win that race seven times. Twice I came very close, once I had an accident while we were leading. Only in 2000 did everything go the right way and we won.”
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Talent is not enough
So what is the most important advice to best face this challenge on a 22 km long circuit? For Mayländer, everything is in discipline: “In 2000 we had a perfect team and a perfect car, but during every briefing the message was always the same: the drivers must cooperate with the team. If you know the car is good and the speed is there, think about the checkered flag. Don’t take too many risks. With the rules and the Code 60 situations (mandatory slow zones, ed.) it’s always a matter of luck. You can get a penalty that way. But the most important thing is to stay on track. Traffic is the most important lesson I had to learn. Don’t push too much inside. In the last 30 years, we have seen that even the fastest cars don’t make it if they take too many risks. In 2000 we had a driver who took many risks. We really had to contain him and tell him: ‘Hey, drive carefully’. We are in pole position, but you don’t have to be first after the first corner. The race is incredibly long. If you’re not in front after the first lap, maybe you will be at the fiftieth. This possibility always exists, provided you manage to keep the car intact.”
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