Max Verstappen turned a lot of heads in the season break recently as photos emerged of him testing for DTM team Emil Frey, driving the Ferrari 296 GT3 at Portimao in Portugal. It is a well-known fact that the three-time reigning F1 world champion is a regular supporter of Emil Frey’s Thierry Vermeulen. But to see their connection being so close that Verstappen would travel to Portugal to test the DTM team’s car for two days was a major surprise per Motorsport.com.
At 21, Vermeulen is still a developing driver, and Verstappen and Emil Frey worked together to come up with an intensive program composed of different set-ups, with each set-up focusing on different goals. According to Team Boss Lorenz Frey-Hilti, the objective of the two-day program was to use Verstappen’s experience behind the wheel to help his fellow Dutchman’s development.
He further praised Verstappen for his down-to-earth personality and his love for motorsports while also complementing the 26-year-old for his feedback on the GT3 Car. Frey-Hilti witnessed that perhaps motorsport was the only thing the Dutch champ was born to do.
“It’s always interesting when you meet such famous people in person. You think you know the person, but when you meet them in real life, you experience a completely different person. He’s incredibly down-to-earth and a really nice guy. And it’s nice to see how much passion he has for motorsport and what he achieves. Even with a GT3 car his feedback is on another level compared to everything I’ve seen so far. He is world class.”, said the DTM boss.
The Red Bull driver quickly put his driving prowess on display, with Frey-Hilti revealing he delivered a great performance on his first flying lap. He added there were other similar cars on site, but the one being driven by Verstappen was on a different level as opposed to the others.
Verstappen is playing a significant role in not only helping Emil Frey improve their overall speed but also helping Vermeulen improve as a driver. The 21-year-old is measuring himself against one of the best drivers in the world, and there could hardly be a better benchmark to follow.
Max Verstappen can never step far away from racing
Having secured his third-consecutive drivers’ championship, Verstappen claimed he loves racing and nothing was better than winning in Formula 1. The Dutchman added he is also focusing on next year, hoping for a competitive car to continue the momentum.
Verstappen has done little else apart from racing all his life. Even in his time away from F1, while other drivers would go on vacations and party with friends and family, the Dutchman prefers staying back home and logging in hours on sim racing.
For Verstappen, sim racing is more than just a game. It serves as a platform for him to explore the boundaries of racing and “build something remarkable” off of it.
The 26-year-old has big plans for his future, with one of those plans being to create his own racing team. His project with Team Redline focuses on fusing the real world and the virtual world and provides opportunities for drivers aspiring to make it big in either discipline. There are vast possibilities in the world of virtual racing, and Verstappen wants to tap all of them and create something that serves a purpose beyond entertainment.
