David Coulthard identifies what makes Max Verstappen different after Nurburgring 24 Hours debut

Max Verstappen didn’t win the Nurburgring 24 Hours, but he left an impression far beyond the final standings.

Driving alongside Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer, Verstappen had put his team in a strong position before a late ABS issue dropped them down the order.

Despite finishing 38th, it was Verstappen’s decision to race there at all that caught people’s attention. It’s rare for active F1 drivers to take on such challenges during the season.

Coulthard identifies what sets Verstappen apart from other drivers

Coulthard said on his Up To Speed podcast: “That is a scary race track, I’ve been around that. The commitment that is required at the level you need to have to be competitive and to be at the front like they were.”

“Sadly, we reported a couple of weeks ago, there was a driver who lost his life on that very track, due to the nature of the challenge of the race track.

“So, we should not sort of just look at it as oh, Max loves driving so much he’s just out having fun on the weekends, if he was doing that, he could go to any of the FIA-regulated tracks that are very similar to the current F1 tracks.

“But, to go there (Nurburgring), this is old school commitment, and that’s what sets him apart from the others.

“The others are technically very good racing drivers, there’s no question about it. I would question whether any other driver on the Formula 1 grid right now would accept the challenge to go and race at the Nurburgring. Anyone?”

Kimi Antonelli interested in taking part in Nurburgring 24 Hours after Verstappen debut

Kimi Antonelli has also spoken about wanting to race at the Nurburgring one day, but it doesn’t sound like Mercedes are ready to give him permission just yet.

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained why Antonelli won’t be getting his wish anytime soon.

Motorsport.com reported that Lord spoke to Nitro about whether Antonelli would be allowed to pursue a DMSB Nordschleife Permit (DPN) this year, Lord replied: “No. I’ve spoken to him about it. I think he meant it more as a joke.”