mobile app bar

Max Verstappen Gets Behind the Wheel of a Ferrari to Mentor a Close Friend and Young Driver

Anirban Aly Mandal
Published

Max Verstappen Gets Behind the Wheel of a Ferrari to Mentor a Close Friend and Young Driver

Max Verstappen recently headed to Italy where he reportedly got behind the wheel of a Ferrari beast in order to mentor a young racing driver, Thierry. Swiss publication Blick reported that Thierry received a racing masterclass from the three-time F1 champion.

Verstappen has a profound love for GT racing and a certain affinity for Thierry Vermeulen, the son of his manager, Raymond Vermeulen. “We’re something like a big family, and I’m also a GT and sim racing fan,” explained the Dutchman.

Hence, when the young driver was testing the Ferrari 296 GT3, which also runs under the banner of Verstappen.com, the 26-year-old was more than happy to show the youngster a few tips to master the beast. Ferrari introduced the 296 GT3 as the 2023 replacement for their legendary 488 GT3 which won them countless accolades in touring car championships.

Verstappen was quick to get to grips with the machinery and gave Thierry some useful mentoring. His father, Raymond revealed, “Max was able to give him some good tips after a few laps.”

That being said, the Vermeulen family is pretty clear about not chasing that Formula 1 dream. “Formula 1 is not a goal for us. I know which way is up – the air is far too thin for that. So we stay away,” explained Vermeulen Sr.

Max Verstappen is ready to support his good friend

Max Verstappen also revealed that he visited the Emil Frey Racing based out in Switzerland. Emil Frey is a GT3 stalwart and Thierry’s team currently. The Dutchman has repeatedly stated that he’s more than happy to take the young man, whom he considers family, under his wing.

While Raymond doesn’t want Thierry to try for F1, he does want his son to have a thriving and varied racing career. When prompted to reveal his elaborate plans, Raymond revealed, “There are other interesting categories in racing.” However, for now, GT3 seems like their best bet.

One could expect Verstappen to mentor Thierry as the Red Bull driver shares a strong bond with the youngster’s father. Being Verstappen’s manager, Vermeulen has been able to establish the Dutchman’s legacy in a team like Red Bull. For all that he’s done for the 26-year-old’s career, Verstappen has always been very grateful for it.

But his inclination towards helping Thierry in his GT racing career may have a long-term objective as well. As Helmut Marko revealed, “One day, Max will find his own GT team. He’s just a real racer.”

Post Edited By:Vidit Dhawan

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

linkedin-icon

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Share this article