The Chicago race was something that piqued the interest of several people from across the globe. It was not just fans tuning in but also drivers from across disciplines. One such person who stayed up to witness Shane van Gisbergen win the inaugural street race was two-time Formula 1 World Champion, Max Verstappen. Ahead of the British Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver spoke about Gisbergen and praised his “really impressive” driving.
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He commended the fact that the Kiwi was able to win a race on his debut in the Cup Series, despite never having previous experience in such a car. The Red Bull driver also ruled out the possibility of driving in NASCAR for himself in the near future.
Max Verstappen praises Shane van Gisbergen’s driving after Chicago win
During his interview ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix Weekend, Verstappen shared his thoughts on how SVG drove at Chicago, saying how he stayed awake to watch the race unfold and apparently screamed in front of his monitor in excitement as the V8 Supercars driver collected his debut win at NASCAR’s first-ever street course race.
Verstappen stated, “I stayed awake to watch it. And I’ve never felt so nervous in my life watching someone else race and trying to win it. So yeah, I was literally screaming in front of my monitor for him to win that. I mean that’s really really impressive to jump in the car and you don’t know…”
“They are very hard cars to drive. And he just goes in there and he absolutely dominates the race. So yeah, I know he’s a great driver. I know what he’s capable of. And I know how good he is in different kinds of disciplines. He is great of course in V8s, that is what he knows, he’s great in the rally car as well, and clearly, he is great in NASCAR as well. And I mean that Shane. He is a crazy right-foot braker still.”
Max Verstappen rules out NASCAR possibility for himself
Verstappen also mentioned that he was not going to get into NASCAR anytime in the future, claiming that this was not his preferred style of driving.
The Red Bull driver said, “No! It’s not my style, I think. I mean, I like watching it. I think it’s really, really cool. And I was really happy for Shane, but I’m happy to maybe go there and just have a beer myself and enjoy the show.”
Although, if he did come down to race in the Cup Series it would definitely be a spectacle to see how he would fare. Would he continue with his dominance in the same way he does back in Formula 1? Or would he struggle in the Next-Gen Car? Regardless, the entertainment for the fans would be guaranteed.
