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Max Verstappen's foray into endurance racing did not go unnoticed in the Formula 1 paddock. The four-time world champion used the F1-free weekend between Miami and Montreal to tackle one of the races that had long sat at the top of his bucket list â the NĂŒrburgring 24 Hours â behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Victory was ultimately denied by a cruel driveshaft failure, but Verstappen's performance across the race earned him widespread admiration from both the GT3 community and his fellow F1 drivers. As detailed in our coverage of Verstappen's driveshaft failure at the NĂŒrburgring 24 Hours, the Red Bull driver was in dominant form before the mechanical issue struck with under three hours remaining.
Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar was among those following events closely from home. The rookie admitted he spent much of the night watching Verstappen's onboard footage before eventually succumbing to sleep.
"I had his onboard camera on my TV running. I fell asleep around 2am, I think, so I watched most of his racing and I woke up to the news that he had to retire the car," Hadjar told Motorsport.com.
"But it was honestly good fun, it was good to watch. It's very different racing and a different approach that you've got to take, so definitely interesting to look at."
For Hadjar, what stood out most was the complexity of managing multi-class traffic on a circuit as demanding and narrow as the Nordschleife, with its relentless elevation changes and high-speed blind corners.
"It's crazy, especially when you think you've got a lead on the car behind you, but then you get slowed down and you're actually in very narrow high-speed sections. You've got to sneak through very small gaps and there's a car behind you flashing its lights at you."
"I mean it's a completely different approach to racing. Also you've got to be careful because it's a 24-hour race, so you can't really pick up any damage. It's definitely a different approach, but very interesting."
Hadjar also noted an interesting detail that emerged post-race: co-driver Daniel Juncadella took the opening stint precisely because Verstappen had acknowledged he would have been unable to resist pushing flat-out from the very start.
Despite his fascination, Hadjar was measured when asked whether he would one day like to race in the Green Hell himself. "I would love to, but at the moment it's just that I can't really allow myself to do that. I'm just focused on F1, but yeah, maybe one day."
Cadillac driver Sergio Perez also has a personal history with the Nordschleife â albeit of a rather more informal variety. The Mexican recalled his early racing days in Germany, when the legendary circuit served as something of a playground.
"I really like that circuit. I've done it when I used to race in Formula BMW in Germany. I always used to take my rental car for a lap or two in the Nordschleife. It's really, really enjoyable."
Asked whether he managed to return those rental cars undamaged, Perez laughed: "Not very often!"
His teammate Lando Norris had already shared his own enthusiasm for the Nordschleife during the Miami weekend, calling his laps in a McLaren 750S "the most fun" he had had all year â a sentiment that speaks volumes about the circuit's unique allure. Norris, who is also eyeing a future appearance at Le Mans through McLaren's Hypercar programme, is clearly developing a taste for endurance racing beyond the F1 world.
Perhaps the most authoritative voice on the subject came from Fernando Alonso, a driver who knows firsthand what it takes to win iconic endurance races. The Spaniard was impressed by how Verstappen carried himself throughout the event.
"Endurance racing has some magic in these 24-hour races. You have this incredible traffic management skill that you need to have. You need to share the car and the setup with all the drivers, you need to rely on them, you need to play as a teamwork in general."
"And then on top of that, you need to have luck, which is what Max missed last time. Winning 24-hour races is not the most straightforward thing. It doesn't depend only on you. You need a couple of attempts."
It is a message that appears to resonate with Verstappen himself. The Red Bull driver has already made clear his intention to return to the Nordschleife â the NĂŒrburgring 24 Hours is a race he is determined to win, and if the F1 calendar permits, he will be back.
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.