Max Verstappen is sixth in the championship, 110 points behind the leader, and apparently never happier than when he is driving a GT3 car through the German night. Make of that what you will.
The Anti-Superstar at the Nordschleife
The four-time world champion has spoken candidly about his time racing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife this year, and the message is striking. While millions tuned in specifically to watch Max Verstappen, the man himself wants nothing to do with the celebrity circus that follows him everywhere in Formula 1.
“I don’t want to act like a superstar or, just because I’m a Formula 1 driver, act differently. I love racing, I love endurance racing, and I love working with teammates on the same car.” – Max Verstappen
It is refreshingly straightforward. The paddock access, the closeness to fans, the old-school atmosphere of endurance racing: these are things F1 stripped away years ago in pursuit of revenue and exclusivity. Verstappen notices the difference and, crucially, he prefers what the Nordschleife offers.
When Driving at Night Beats Winning a Grand Prix
Verstappen drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Winward Racing at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours alongside Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer. A broken driveshaft cost the team three hours in the garage and killed their victory chances. Yet Verstappen came away glowing.
“Driving at night for the first time was honestly just a fantastic, fantastic experience.” – Max Verstappen
Consider that for a moment. A man with 71 Formula 1 victories found driving a GT3 car in the dark to be genuinely revelatory. That says something about the state of his F1 career right now, and it probably says something about the state of the Red Bull RB22 too.
The Timing Is Hard to Ignore
Verstappen has been clear that racing outside F1 gives him a positive mindset when he returns to the paddock. That is a polite way of acknowledging that returning to a car sitting fourth in the constructors’ championship is not exactly a mental health retreat. His teammate Isack Hadjar has spoken about the culture shock at Red Bull, and the wider picture at Milton Keynes is not one of serene confidence.
Verstappen insists his endurance outings do not hurt his F1 performances. Perhaps. But when a driver this competitive finds himself waxing lyrical about traffic management on the Nordschleife while sitting 110 points off Kimi Antonelli, you have to wonder whether the Nürburgring is a hobby or a pressure valve.
A Glimpse of the Genuine Article
The irony is that by trying to avoid superstar status, Verstappen ends up looking more compelling than any carefully managed PR exercise could achieve. He has previously refused to take credit for the Dutch motorsport boom, and here he is again, deflecting the spotlight with apparent sincerity.
Whether Red Bull can give him a car worthy of that sincerity before the season ends is a far less romantic question.
