Sooner or later Max Verstappen will drive at Le Mans. But it may well be sooner rather than later.
It’s a childhood dream. Not only from Max, but certainly also from Max. About fifteen years ago, when Verstappen was still a little Verstappen and daddy Jos was the big man, he was at Le Mans to see his father racing in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As a child he loved the atmosphere there. The 24 hours are divided into different stints driven by several drivers in the same car. That team element, which also means that you have to find a compromise for the set-up together, is an additional factor of the 24-hour race that really appeals to Max.
Max Verstappen at Le Mans
Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans is certainly on Max’s bucket list and that doesn’t have to take years. That’s possible during his career, as we read on Nu.nl.
According to the world champion, it depends on the preparation whether it is possible during a Formula 1 season. He refers to last week when he took part in the digital 24 Hours of the Nürburgring (and won) while he also had to race in Imola. He wouldn’t have done that without the opportunity to prepare properly.
Max doesn’t see Le Mans and Formula 1 racing in the same weekend happening yet, but if it can be combined, it should be possible, according to the 26-year-old driver. A missed opportunity for this year, because there is no Grand Prix in the Le Mans weekend of June 15 and 16.
Teams want to
Le Mans is hot. More and more brands are participating in the Hypercar top class. Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Lamborghini, Peugeot and Cadillac are now participating. Verstappen hints to the news site that he has sometimes been contacted by teams to ask if he likes it. But he guards against hasty decisions.
Teammate
He has also thought about his teammate. The weight rules of Le Mans prescribe that fast cars are given extra kilos to increase their speed and the cars are thus more evenly matched.
Where in Formula 1, weight differences between drivers are compensated with weights in the seat. Max Verstappen weighs about 80 kilograms with equipment. He would like Yuki Tsunoda as his teammate for the 24 hours. It is only 1.61 meters long and weighs a lot less. That makes a difference of just a few tenths per second.
So Max Verstappen wants to. And that doesn’t have to take long at all. The only question is whether Helmut Marko is allowed to do it. He previously banned him from driving around the Nürburgring in real life at all. In any case, we are in favor.
Comments
-
Dutchdriftking say
Together with Alonso and Norris? Not fun for other participants, of course, but wise.
