In November 2023, Max Verstappen got behind the wheel of a Ferrari in Italy to mentor a young driver named Thierry Vermeulen. An avid GT racer, the Dutchman flew over to help out the son of his manager, who was struggling with the Ferrari 296 GT3. Nearly six months later, Thierry Vermeulen looks back at the day as one of the most important days of his season.
Having worked with Max Verstappen, Vermeulen has been much more confident when racing in the GT series. There were balance issues with the car that the team was unable to adjust to Vermeulen’s liking. However, ever since the November test in Mugello, things have taken a U-turn.
“[max testing my ferrari] was one of the most important days of my entire season. we made a lot of progress with the car and the direction in which we had to work. then we drove a dozen of races in the top 10, and achieved 3 podiums.”
im so excited to see max race in diff series pic.twitter.com/6kJsDnxI5l
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) May 29, 2024
Vermeulen further detailed how the season has become much more positive for him and his team.
“[It] was one of the most important days of my entire season. We made a lot of progress with the car and the direction in which we had to work. Then we drove a dozen of races in the top 10, and achieved 3 podiums.” he said.
Having mentored his fellow countryman, Verstappen feels Vermeulen fulfills the requirements to build on his 2023 showing. Thus, the three-time F1 world champion is confident that his protégé will put together a solid performance in DTM in 2024.
Max Verstappen is confident Theirry Vermeulen will rise through the ranks in 2024
Driving for Emil Frey Racing in his rookie season, Theirry Vermeulen finished P16 in the drivers’ rankings. His best finish of the season was a P5 in Sachsenring in Germany.
In 2024, Vermeulen will once again race for the same team under the colors of Verstappen.com Racing. As such, Verstappen hopes the experience gained by the young driver will help him compete at the front more consistently.
Max Verstappen is endorsing his protege Thierry Vermeulen for his second season in the DTM, citing Vermeulen’s impressive performance in testing where he consistently lapped within two tenths of Verstappen.
Vermeulen, racing with Emil Frey Racing, aims to improve upon his… pic.twitter.com/QisSO53QFP
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) April 26, 2024
Praising the 22-year-old for his pace, the Red Bull driver even revealed Vermeulen isn’t too far off his pace. “He is very fast. When we test too, every time I drive with him, he’s within two-tenths of me all the time.”
Having only started his pro racing career in 2020, Verstappen believes Vermeulen still lacks the experience. In contrast, his rivals contain a host of veterans, including Lucas Auer, Kelvin van der Linde, and Maro Wittmann. Thus, Max Verstappen says that one has to be patient with Vermeulen as he certainly has the talent and isn’t afraid to go fast in the corners.
