Verstappen Feels Losing NLS2 Win Will Benefit Team

Max Verstappen believes his Verstappen Racing team will be more “on point” as a result of the error that led to its disqualification from victory in last weekend’s NLS2, as preparations continue for the Formula 1 star’s Nürburgring 24 debut in May.

Together with his co-drivers in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, Verstappen provisionally took victory by one minute in last Saturday’s second round of the NLS season, only to be excluded for a breach of tire regulations.

It followed the Winward Racing-operated car using seven sets of tires over the course of the day, one more than the permitted six.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s F1 Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen explained that the error was made in the process of practising pit stops, but believes that the team will ultimately benefit from the experience of losing the win.

“Overall it was a great weekend,” Verstappen told assembled reporters on Thursday at Suzuka. “I had a great time together with my teammates.

“Of course we made a little mistake in qualifying when we practised our pit stops and we added another set [of tires] on the car when we did the out-ins. But in the race it’s straightforward, because everyone just uses four new sets.

“It’s a shame to lose [the win] but at the same time it probably puts the team on point, maybe it needed it a little bit.

“But the overall working experience was good. The team and the engineers know what they are doing, they have been successful for a while in GT racing.

“For me it was a really fun weekend. Every time I jumped out of the car I was smiling, and I think that’s always a good thing.”

Verstappen, who could use the new break in the F1 schedule amid the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix due to the Middle East conflict to contest more NLS races, highlighted the importance of preparing for the N24.

“As a team the target is to win the 24,” said Verstappen. “That’s what we are preparing for and that’s why these races are great to do.

“It’s all about getting the car in the right window; you need to feel confident to attack, not only by yourself on one lap but in traffic as well, and choosing the right tire compounds.

“And for me, getting to know the team, doing pit stops — I felt like a rookie jumping out of the car, helping your teammate to get strapped in, I never did any of that — and getting to understand the car a bit more with the procedures, because I have driven many types of GT car over the last few months, so to get dialled in with that.

“That’s why I am of course doing these races before the 24.”

Verstappen: Nissan GT500 Test “Fun” But No Race Plans Yet

Ahead of this weekend’s Suzuka F1 race, Verstappen drove a Nissan Z NISMO GT500 car in a special promotional test at Fuji Speedway organized by Red Bull.

The four-time world champion described it as a “fantastic” experience despite the fact bad weather limited him to just a handful of laps in the Red Bull-liveried machine.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Verstappen. “It’s a shame it was raining quite a bit so I couldn’t do that many laps; I would have liked to do more.

“It’s a fantastic car, a fantastic category in general. It was a great experience to drive that car and also feel the grip in the wet, which is different to what we have normally in Europe. And just being able to drive so many different cars is always a good thing.”

The Fuji run marked Verstappen’s second run in top-class SUPER GT machinery after he sampled a Honda NSX-GT at Motegi back in 2022.

Asked by Sportscar365 whether he could consider a one-off race appearance in the Japanese series, the Dutchman cited the lack of a marquee race as a stumbling block.

“Who knows? I need to see,” he said. “But I wish they had a standout race instead of just a championship. If that was the case, it would be easier to commit to one.

“I cannot do a whole championship, and also to do one race in a championship is sometimes not the right thing.

“But I would love to race these cars. It really reminds me of how the old [Class One] DTM cars used to be and that’s what I really like watching.”