Earlier this week, Red Bull announced a star-studded line-up for their Nurburgring Nordschleife Formula 1 demo. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel will come out of F1 retirement for this special event and will drive alongside fan favorite, Daniel Ricciardo. Max Verstappen too, wanted to join in on the fun, but Red Bull will not allow him to take part.
Verstappen is the most dominant driver in F1 at the moment. He won two back-to-back world championships with Red Bull, and even guided them to their first constructors’ title win since 2013 last year. His contribution to the team’s success is invaluable and in terms of race wins, he is the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s most successful driver ever. Still, Red Bull didn’t consider him for this special event at the Nurburgring.
Realistically speaking, however, teams often don’t allow their drivers to take part in events outside of F1. There could be plenty of reasons behind this, but is mostly to avoid any unnecessary injuries or physical harm. Verstappen, on the other hand, feels that his team has something else in mind.
Helmut Marko denied Max Verstappen his dream run
As reported by Autosport, Verstappen shared his thoughts on his Nurburgring Nordschleife Formula 1 demo exclusion ahead of the Canadian GP this weekend. When the topic came up, he immediately decided that he wanted to get behind the wheels of one of Red Bull’s most iconic cars. Team chief Helmut Marko, however, denied his request.
Verstappen seems to be okay with Marko not allowing him to take part in the demo. According to the Dutchman, his team chief knew that he would not comply with the limit, even though the event was just for show. To prevent any crashes or accidents, Marko decided to snub Verstappen.
Red Bull confirm Sebastian Vettel will return with Daniel Ricciardo to hit one of the world’s most famous tracks https://t.co/2LeJLUY9IR pic.twitter.com/g7uoflkgIk
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 15, 2023
“I wanted to do it, but I was not allowed by Helmut,” said Verstappen. “He knew that I would try and go to the limits. I would have loved to do it.
Verstappen was disappointed with Marko making the call on his absence, but understands why. Not wanting to make a huge fuss out of it, Verstappen decided to let the whole thing slide.
Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo will drive in a life-threatening circuit
The Nurburgring Nordschleife is an infamous circuit, known for some of the most highly-documented crashes in F1 history. Verstappen acknowledges that driving an older Red Bull car using demo tyres in that particular track would have been risky.
“It’s also risky to drive here,” he added. “It just depends on how you hit a barrier. But that’s normally not the plan, of course. But hopefully one day I can do it.”
Even though Verstappen won’t be a part of this event, fans are very excited about the demo run. Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, are two drivers who are adored by the entire F1 community. Watching them in action, behind the wheel of a Red Bull car will definitely bring back some great memories for people who watched them race in their prime.
