“Max [Verstappen] is if he’s not in a car, he is in a sim chair,” said Tom Kristensen when discussing the Dutchman’s passion for racing. The Le Mans legend, who has won the prestigious race record nine times. is a massive fan of the four-time F1 champ.
Kristensen recently appeared on RacingNews365‘s podcast, where journalist Ian Parkes asked him if Verstappen‘s sim racing stints did him any good. The Dane undoubtedly believes it did. It proved Verstappen’s love for racing. Kristensen even lauded Verstappen’s technical knowledge of Le Mans cars, which found its origin in sim racing.
That level of understanding of different disciplines and the passion for racing led to the 57-year-old expressing a simple desire – to see Verstappen race beyond F1 in real life.
Kristensen has no doubts that the reigning F1 champion will shine in categories like GT and rally racing.
“There’s no doubt that sim racing is benefiting. But you can say if you add another kind of racing to his Formula One, then sim racing, that’d be sports car racing. That speaks to the word, not absolutely, but the versatility. And I love that part of being a racing driver. I love to see a Formula One driver going rallying. I want to see him in a GT car,” he said.
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso have plans to team up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
“It’s in the back of our minds, we know that we want to do it.”
“The only thing is, for Le Mans, there’s no minimum weight for the driver. I’m quite a heavy competitor, so I would have to find… pic.twitter.com/YRCVL5h7LF
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) February 4, 2025
Kristensen, however, realizes that his desire is more of an old-school thought than modern. Gone are the days when drivers used to jump to different categories to prove their talent and grit.
Still, he is counting on Verstappen’s motivation and the ‘real champion’ instinct to take him to other series and championships.
Kristensen wants Verstappen to use his ‘stature’ at Red Bull
From seriously competing in Le Mans to just taking a casual lap on a MotoGP bike, Verstappen has never shied away from sharing his desires. The reason he is unable to is his Red Bull contract that prevents him from engaging in activities outside F1 that can endanger his life or threaten serious injury. However, now may be the time for him to play the ‘stature’ card, Kristensen suggests.
“He’s already propelling his entry in [Le Mans]. And with his stature at Red Bull, I’m sure if he stays with that team, which is what people are talking about, which means he might even have a chance to drive Le Mans in a Formula One season. That is also possible,” he advised.
The team already has a hypercar, the RB17, designed by aero-genius Adrian Newey. The design guru, however, clearly stated that it was too powerful to compete at Le Mans. Surely Red Bull could make necessary changes to it to make it Le Mans compliant. That is, if Verstappen pushes enough for it.
