Valentino Rossi makes surprising admission ahead of Max Verstappen battle
Rossi and Verstappen will go head to head in Portugal (Photo: Race Pictures)
Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Valentino Rossi has already hinted he may use this weekend’s face-off against Max Verstappen as a learning opportunity.
The pair of motorsport legends go head-to-head in an unexpected turn of events at the GT3 in Portimao.
Rossi turned to four-wheel racing after retiring from MotoGP in 2021 as a nine-time world champion.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is new to GT3 racing, but has already stunned with a handful of appearances in his Mercedes.
Now the pair face off against each other in GT World Challenge Europe with the Italian in a Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO and the Dutchman in a Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
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Verstappen has already previewed his challenge of facing Rossi, and the latter has now given his take on the ground in Portugal.
Rossi hopes to follow Verstappen during Portimao GT3 race
He commented: “It's going to be incredible. It will be a big challenge because he's sure to be incredibly fast, but it will be fantastic.
“I have to admit I never imagined I would end up competing against Max Verstappen. It will be fantastic for everyone to have him there, and I hope to have the opportunity to follow him and see how he drives.”
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The race is Verstappen’s series debut, but he arrives in sublime form, having won back-to-back Formula 1 races.
Verstappen responds to prospect of racing MotoGP legend Rossi
Giving his take on the match-up, Verstappen said: “Yes, I hope to have the opportunity to see him. He's a very interesting guy, so I hope I can catch up with him.
“That's fine, but I don't expect to see him during the race, because normally that would be a good sign.
"Actually, I hope not to see anyone, to be ahead of everyone and do a good job. But you never know. The grid is very competitive, so I'm looking forward to the challenge.”
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Previewing the series itself, he added: “It's very different from Formula 1, but I love it. I already had a first taste of it this year at the Nordschleife, and Portimao is a very fun circuit to drive.
“I'm going to enjoy it and, of course, as a team we'll try to do our best to achieve a good result.”
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