Before making his racing debut on the Nordschleife, Max Verstappen first had to hit the books—chief instructor Andreas Gülden reveals how the training course went
Max Verstappen has obtained his “Nordschleife driver’s license”: The Formula 1 world champion was at the starting line on Saturday for the seventh round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). Before that, however, the 27-year-old Dutchman had to complete the required permit course.
This meant swotting up on the theory before hitting the track. However, he didn’t get straight into a race car: alongside Andreas Gülden, chief instructor at the Nürburgring Driving Academy, Verstappen first completed laps of the legendary Nordschleife in a minibus.
“He seemed very interested during this bus ride around the track,” reveals Gülden. “For example, he was interested in which line to take in the rain, and I was able to tell him a little bit about the different types of asphalt and the flag signals, which differ from those used in other racing series.”
“Also fooled around a bit” during the course
Only then did he switch to the car. Verstappen was allowed to climb into his restricted Porsche Cayman GT4, but first had to drive two laps behind Gülden, who was piloting a Mercedes-AMG GT. “It was fantastic to drive a few laps ahead of the world champion.”
Instructor ”really impressed“ by Verstappen
”I think we learned something from each other,“ Gülden admits that the situation was also special for him. ”He’s a really nice guy. A great enthusiast. It’s wonderful to see him smiling at the wheel on the most beautiful race track in the world.“
”I’m really incredibly impressed by Max. Of course, by his qualities in the car, but there’s no doubt about that. But also because of his ambition and interest.” Apparently, it wasn’t a big problem for Verstappen to have to complete the required permit course in the first place.
“He is incredibly focused,” reveals chief instructor Gülden, who last weekend had the privilege of ‘training’ probably the most prominent student driver of his career to date: “It was an honor to work with him for a while. He is a true world champion, a true racer.”
