DTM team boss praises Max Verstappen after GT3 test, claims the F1 champion is on a ‘different level’ than he has ever seen

Max Verstappen tested a Ferrari 296 GT3 at Portimao over the winter break.

DTM team boss praises Max Verstappen after GT3 test, claims the F1 champion is on a ‘different level’ than he has ever seen

Max Verstappen (Credits: Planet F1) and GT3 (Credits: Daily Mail)

Max Verstappen is undoubtedly the driver to beat in Formula 1. The Dutch driver had a historic campaign in 2023 and shattered multiple records. The three-time world champion tried his hands at DTM machinery during the winter and tested a Ferrari 296 GT3.

Verstappen tested the car alongside Thierry Vermeulen who is sponsored by Verstappen.com. Moreover, Vermeulen is the son of the Dutch driver’s manager Raymond Vermuelon. The two drivers did some laps at Portimao’s Algarve International Circuit.  Team Boss Lorenz Frey-Hilti has now praised the reigning F1 champion.

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Frey-Hilti mentioned that the team wanted to support Thierry Vermeulen with Verstappen’s feedback via this test. Moreover, the DTM team boss claimed that the Red Bull driver had a completely different personality than what he had imagined from the outside.

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The goal of the test with Max [Verstappen] was to support Thierry [Vermeulen] and improve our performance using Max's feedback... It's always interesting to meet a well-known person. You think you know that person, but if you meet him in real life, you experience a completely different person.
Lorenz Frey-Hilti told Motorsport-Total

Additionally, Lorenz Frey-Hilti praised Max Verstappen’s sheer passion for cars and racing. The DTM team boss mentioned that the three-time world champion was on another level even when it comes to providing feedback for a DTM car. Frey-Hilti claimed that he had never witnessed a driver with such optimal feedback even behind the wheel of a completely different car.

It's wonderful to see how much passion he has for motorsport and what he has achieved. Even in a GT3 car, his feedback was of a very different level than anything I had seen before. He is world class.

Max Verstappen set to have his own GT3 team by 2025

Verstappen has often expressed his love for motorsport outside of F1. The Dutch driver plans to have his own GT3 team by 2025. The 26-year-old already sponsors Vermeulen in DTM and will soon expand the Verstappen.com brand through his own squad. Perhaps, one day, the three-time world champion would even lead the GT3 outfit as a Team Principal.

Max Verstappen and Thierry Vermeulen at Paul Ricard earlier this year (image via Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe)
Max Verstappen and Thierry Vermeulen at Paul Ricard earlier this year (Image via Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe)

Moreover, Max Verstappen understands the importance of sim racing. The Dutch driver admitted that karting is far too expensive for most families in today’s age. This inevitably restricts the career prospects of millions of aspiring racers who simply can’t afford to make their way into the world of motorsport.

In the coming years, Verstappen aims to develop a motorsport ladder via sim racing. This would ensure that young kids across the globe could build their careers in racing via affordable measures. However, it will take a long time before Max Verstappen’s dream of an accessible way into motorsport becomes reality.

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