Verstappen keen to race in Super GT after Fuji outing

Max Verstappen says he would love to race a Super GT car after driving a Nissan Z GT500 at Fuji Speedway ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Fresh from a weekend racing at the Nurburgring in preparation for the 24-hour race there, Verstappen was on track in Japan on Wednesday in extremely wet conditions. The four-time Formula 1 world champion says the calendar does not offer an obvious event to try and compete in, but says he wants to do a race if the right opportunity appears.

“it was a lot of fun, just a shame that it was raining quite a bit, so I couldn't do that many laps,” Verstappen said. “I would have liked to do more laps, but it's a fantastic car, fantastic category in general. And it was a great experience for me to drive that car and feel also the grip in the wet.

“It's quite different to what we have in Europe – in general, but normally in Europe. And just being able to drive so many different cars is always, I think, a good thing.

“Who knows [about racing]? I need to see. Like I said, it's a great category. I wish they had a bit more of like a standout one race instead of just a championship. I think if that would be the case, it's easier to commit to one. I cannot do a whole championship. And to do one race in a championship sometimes is also not the right thing.

“So, we'll see. I mean, I would love to race these cars. It really reminds me of how the old DTM cars used to be. And that's what you also really liked watching.”

It didn't end well, but Verstappen still enjoyed his Nurburgring experience. Gruppe C Photography via Red Bull Content Pool

At the Nurburgring, Verstappen claimed victory alongside Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon in a four-hour event before being disqualified for using seven sets of tires across the race day rather than the permitted six.

“Overall it was a great weekend. We had a really good time together with my teammates also," Verstappen said. Then, of course, we had a little mistake in qualifying where we were practicing the pit stops where they then added another set on the car. But besides that, of course, in the race it's very straightforward where everyone just uses four new sets.

“Shame, of course, to lose it, but at the same time probably it puts the team on point. Maybe it needed that a little bit, but the overall working experience was really good, also within the team. The engineers, they know what they're doing. They have been incredibly successful for a while in GT racing. So, for me overall it's been a really fun weekend.

“It's impossible to compare [to F1], but I wanted to do that for a while. It's really something that I enjoy a lot. So every time I just jumped out of the car I was smiling and I think that's always a good thing.

“As a team, of course, the target is to win the 24. That's what we're preparing for and that's what these races are great to do. We were lucky with the weather. And then it's all about just trying to get the car in the right window. You need to feel comfortable, confident to attack, not only by yourself on the one lap, but in traffic as well.

“Choosing the right tires, compounds, that is all what you're doing it for really. And for me, of course, getting to know the team, doing pit stops, I felt like a rookie. You jump out of the car, [then] you need to help your teammate, of course, getting strapped in, I never really did any of that [before].

“So, getting to understand the car a little bit more with procedures, because I've driven quite a lot of different kind of GT cars as well over the last few months. So, just really getting dialed in with that. And that's why I’m doing these races before the 24.”