Verstappen laughs off Mario Kart ‘rainbow track’ training after Nordschleife win

The four-time world champion capped off an almost perfect day, having secured pole earlier by nearly two seconds and then cruising to victory with over a minute in hand over his closest rival.

Summing up how the race unfolded, the Dutchman commented: "It has been super enjoyable. The team also, they prepared the car really well, so we could do some decent testing and it made me feel really comfortable with the car. Really, really good experience for me today to drive here.

Asked jokingly how many times he had trained on Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road to be this prepared, the Dutchman added: "I've done a lot of simulator work also here in the past few years. It helps a lot when you are a rookie and you drive here for the first time if you at least know where you're going, that helps a lot."

As mentioned earlier, the three Winward Racing drivers had a relatively straightforward run for most of the race, with Verstappen involved in an intense battle with Haase during the opening stint, while Gounon had to defend the lead in the third against attacks from Dan Harper.

From there, the race unfolded in a fairly controlled manner for the Dutchman, who, after taking pole, went on to cross the line with over a minute in hand over the second-placed finisher.