Yesterday at 09:15
Max Verstappen "hugely impressed" his Nurburgring Nordschleife
instructor, Andreas Gülden, who has reflected on his experience of
showing the four-time F1 drivers' champion the ropes. The Red Bull
driver has successfully obtained his category A licence for the
legendary circuit, having completed 14 laps of the green hell in a
four-hour race on Saturday. Whilst the Dutchman did not manage to
secure the necessary two classified results, a panel waived that
requirement to award him the higher class of permit. Verstappen
did, however, satisfy all criteria up to that point, including
taking part in a track and theory exam on Friday, which was needed
for his category B licence, the step below. That allowed the Red
Bull driver to race at the famed circuit in the first place, and
Gülden, his instructor for those initial reconnaissance laps, has
reflected on his decorated student. "It was fantastic to drive a
few laps ahead of the world champion," he told De Telegraaf .
"Luckily I had a lot more power, otherwise it might not have worked
out... "We were in contact over the radio and I gave him some tips,
but in the end we were also fooling around a bit. He was driving on
slicks , I was driving on regular street tyres, and I was really
pushing tremendously. He thought that was funny, and I think he
appreciated it too." There has been considerable fanfare
surrounding Verstappen's foray away from single-seater racing cars,
and it is the first significant step the 27-year-old has taken
towards endurance racing in the future. "It's great to see Max
here," Gülden said. "In that bus ride around the track, he looked
very interested. "For example, about what line to drive in the
rain, and I was able to tell him a bit about the different types of
asphalt and the flag signals, which are different from those in
other racing series." Addressing his experience of Verstappen
directly, Gülden was effusive in his praise of the 66-time grand
prix winner, labelling it "an honour" to work with him. "I think we
did learn something from each other," he added. "He's a really nice
guy. A huge enthusiast, too. It's wonderful to see him smiling
behind the wheel, driving on the most beautiful circuit in the
world. I'm really hugely impressed with Max. "Of course, from his
qualities in the car, but there is no doubt about that. But also
because of his ambition and interest. He is so incredibly focused.
It was an honour for me to work with him for a while. He is a real
world champion, a real racer." Having secured his category A
licence, Verstappen is expected to return to the Nurburgring at the
end of September for his first GT3 race, where he will likely drive
a Ferrari 296 GT3.
