Red Bull: Max Verstappen’s focus has to be on F1 after Nurburgring test

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Max Verstappen is free to let off steam in other motorsport series, but reaffirmed that the Dutchman’s “focus has to be” on Formula 1 following a secret test at the Nurburgring last week.

Verstappen drove Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 car during a test at Nurburgring’s Nordschleife at an official Nurburgring Endurance Series test, and Verstappen snuck into the running under the pseudonym of “Franz Hermann”.

The four-time world champion reportedly set a new lap record at the formidable circuit during his test, which raised questions about his future ambitions to enter events such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

“He’s so versatile and he’s so passionate about all forms of racing: sim racing, GT racing – he has his own GT team, effectively,” Horner told Sky Sports following first practice at this weekend’s Imola GP.

“He was very keen to run at the Nurburgring. It’s something we’ve known about for quite some time. He went there and did an incredible job and really enjoyed himself.

“It’s what he loves doing and it would be very hard to take that away from him.”

Max Verstappen, Emil Fray Racing Ferrari 496 GT3

Photo by: Max Verstappen

In the past, F1 drivers regularly competed in other events across different series. In recent years Nico Hulkenberg won the 2015 iteration of Le Mans 24 Hours and Fernando Alonso was even granted the opportunity to miss the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix in order to chase victory at the Indy 500.

But while Horner is happy for Verstappen to flex his muscles in GT racers or other categories of motorsport, he drew the line at letting the Dutchman miss an F1 race.

“He’s not going to miss a race, that’s for sure,” Horner added. “The focus obviously has to be here on the day job. But I think it’s great that he’s so versatile. As Red Bull, we’ve always been slightly more relaxed than perhaps other teams in terms of the freedom that we’ve given our drivers.

“But it’s finding that compromise, finding that balance. Obviously, the priority is here. But it’s great that he’s embracing all forms of motorsport.”

As it stands, Verstappen is free to race where he likes, and his appearance in a Ferrari at Nurburgring raised more than a few eyebrows in the paddock. Things could change next year, however, when Ford comes onboard as technical partner at Red Bull.

With America’s second-largest automaker on side, Verstappen could find that the optics of a Ford-backed driver racing in a Ferrari-powered car might not gel too well with the American manufacturer.