Verstappen: “I’m not afraid of the Nürburgring. I smile every time I drive there”

Verstappen prepares for the Nürburgring F1 was supposed to race in Jeddah this weekend, but the ongoing war in Iran forced the Circus to cancel the races in April. The decision allowed the drivers to rest at least from a logistical point of view: Max Verstappen, also in this case, will be an exception. The Dutch champion will in fact travel to the Nürburgring to take part in two more preparatory races for the 24 Hours (scheduled for 16 and 17 May). The Red Bull driver can’t wait to tackle the 24 Hours in the legendary “Green Hell” at the wheel of his Mercedes-AMG GT3 after the mocking disqualification a month ago. And above all he is not afraid of the Nordschleife, the version of the Nürburgring where F1 has no longer raced since the very serious accident that occurred to Niki Lauda in 1976. Verstappen’s words “I am aware that I can suffer a bad accident there, but I am not afraid: in reality I really like driving there, it makes me smile. And I want to have fun. Every time I get out of the car, I am happy. I know it is a dangerous track, but I am happy to take that risk”, he declared the Dutch. “For F1 it was very dangerous, especially in the 60s and 70s, but since then the circuit has changed a lot. Now, I think it’s fine. And then the dangerous accident can happen anywhere, even in Suzuka.” As for this weekend’s races, Verstappen will use them as a dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours: “I need a little more experience in general. I’d like to maybe drive in the evening or almost at night, just to get an idea of ​​what to expect, and I can only get that from these races. For the rest, it’s about procedures with the team, to get everyone aligned, and the set-up to be fine-tuned. I’m not worried.”