Ralf Schumacher praised the performance of Max Verstappen at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, considering that his level and boldness marked the event despite a cruel end.
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Max Verstappen impressed throughout his participation in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, where he shared the car with Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella, and Jules Gounon.
Long in a position to fight for victory, the group was ultimately stopped by a major mechanical problem, a broken driveshaft, which ruined their hopes of a podium.
Despite this, the overall performance of the Dutchman sparked many reactions in the paddock and beyond.
“No one would have dared to do that”
On the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher did not hide his admiration for the four-time world champion.
“Regarding Max, I have to be honest: what he achieved there is incredible” he explained.
He especially emphasizes the very aggressive approach of the Red Bull driver:
“He took all the risks. I don’t think anyone else would have dared to do that. He made incredible overtakes, including on the grass. Incredible!”
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A pace deemed unreachable for other drivers
Schumacher also highlighted the performance gap between Verstappen and his teammates in this endurance event.
“In his team, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer were clearly behind him. I think they were about three seconds slower per lap.”
A gap he considers significant at this level of competition, even in endurance: “It’s huge. A shame, because he really could have won. He had a great chance, but the technical problem came.”
A positive impact on the entire motorsport world
Beyond the pure performance, Schumacher believes that Verstappen’s presence had a major effect on the event and on endurance racing in general.
“It’s fantastic that he did that. The impact on motorsport and the 24-hour races in Germany, with all those extra fans, was really incredible.”
He concludes by recalling the unique status of Formula 1 in motorsport: “He showed everyone why he is a Formula 1 driver. And many people understood how much F1 is in a category of its own.”
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