Verstappen warned about treacherous Nordschleife: 'We’ll see if he makes it through'

The GT3 specialists are gathering on the Nordschleife this weekend, and all of them will undoubtedly be curious about Verstappen’s level over a 24-hour race. He had already impressed ahead of this weekend with his performances in the NLS races, but he’s tackling an even longer race for the very first time. He does at least have virtual experience, having already won the online version of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.

"There’s a kind of vibe around the Nordschleife because he’s taking part," Van der Zande begins in conversation with GPblog. "The locals, the hotels, but also the drivers—we’re all looking on in disbelief at how well he can race. When he gets into a car like that, it also shows the fanaticism with which he assembles his team, the way he thinks about the setup. He’s just an unbelievably fanatical dog," the experienced endurance driver laughs.

"We can all enjoy that. The fact that he’s competing here speaks to his character. You can say what you want about him, but he’s simply mad about motorsport. He takes part in everything where he can race and whatever there is to race, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a GT3 car or a Formula 1 car. He goes for it, so that’s great to see," Van der Zande praises.

It promises to be a ‘typical’ edition of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, with some rain expected and even talk of a bit of snow. "We’ll see if he survives it," Van der Zande states realistically. "It’s a race where you can’t always drive at 110 percent in traffic. Sometimes there are dentists taking part who have bought themselves a seat. They do some really crazy things on track!" he warns.

"They’ll turn in at a moment you don’t expect, or brake at a moment you don’t expect," Van der Zande adds. However, he assumes that cars outside Verstappen’s class won’t give him too much trouble: "If a Red Bull–Mercedes car is coming, nobody wants to hit him. Maybe that’s an advantage for him."

Van der Zande sees a big difference compared to Formula 1, WEC and IMSA: "There you really see experienced drivers racing each other. Here you’ve got a few in the mix who really don’t know what they’re doing. As a faster car, you have to take that into account. Max is going to experience that. He’s had a few chances to practice, of course. If you ask me, he’s just going for the win," says Van der Zande.

Verstappen Racing’s #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 is a real eye-catcher, but so is Van der Zande’s car this weekend. He is driving the HWA Evo.R Mercedes retro 190E. The German crowd loves seeing that car back on track. Van der Zande and his teammates are competing in the SPX class. "It’s truly a work of art on wheels," Van der Zande says proudly. "We’re in a class where you’re not fighting for the win," he continues.

Many fans also visited the HWA garage, and plenty of photos were taken of the special Mercedes. "People from the car world get it too—they think it’s wonderful. They’re grilling me about how it drives, what it is, what it does. I think HWA has created something truly unique here that brings two worlds together," Van der Zande concludes.