Max Verstappen once again drew attention by participating in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, one of the most challenging races in motorsport. The Dutchman’s presence at the legendary Nordschleife-Nurburgring circuit, over 20 km long, led former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard to state that few current drivers in the category would accept running the same risks.
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Coulthard said that Verstappen’s decision to compete on such a dangerous circuit goes far beyond fun or passion for driving. For the former driver, the four-time F1 world champion demonstrates an ‘old-school’ level of commitment, something rare among the current names on the Formula 1 grid.
Verstappen competed in the traditional 24-hour Nurburgring race last weekend, after using smaller endurance races on the same circuit throughout the year as preparation. Nordschleife is considered one of the most iconic circuits in world motorsport, but it is also known for the extreme risks it poses to drivers.
The dangers of the track became evident again last month when driver Juha Miettinen died after an accident during a race at the German circuit. The episode was mentioned by Coulthard during his participation in the ‘Up to Speed’ podcast, commenting on the magnitude of the challenge faced by the Red Bull Racing driver: “It’s a scary track. I have driven there and the level of commitment needed to be competitive and run at the front is enormous. Unfortunately, we talked on this podcast a few weeks ago about a driver who lost his life precisely on that track. That is the nature of the challenge of that circuit,” said the Scot.
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Coulthard also rejected the idea that Verstappen was just seeking fun outside of Formula 1. According to him, if the goal was just to drive for pleasure, the Dutchman could choose much more modern tracks very similar to the current FIA-approved circuits: “We shouldn’t look at this just as: ‘Max loves driving so much that he’s having fun on weekends.’ If that were the case, he could race on any FIA-approved track, very similar to the current Formula 1 circuits,” he added.
For the former driver, Verstappen’s willingness to face Nordschleife is precisely what sets him apart from the other Formula 1 competitors. Coulthard believes that although the current grid drivers are extremely technically talented, few would accept such a risky challenge alongside their F1 career: “This is old-school commitment and that’s what separates him from the others. The others are technically very good drivers, no doubt about that. But I question whether any other driver on the current Formula 1 grid would accept the risk of racing on the Nordschleife-Nurburgring circuit,” he concluded.
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