As Max Verstappen gears up for his 24 Hour endurance racing debut at the Nurburgring next month, FIA safety car driver Bernd Mayländer has given the Dutchman advice on how to tackle the race.
Mayländer, who recently celebrated his 500th grand prix as the official FIA safety car driver, was an accomplished GT3 racer in his own right before taking on the job, the pinnacle of his career coming in 2000 after winning the Nurburgring 24 Hours – the same race Verstappen is set to take part in next month.
Although he has raced and won at the ‘Green Hell’, Verstappen has not yet participated in a full, twice-around-the-clock endurance race, but his attempt in a Mercedes GT3 machine is expected to fetch a huge worldwide audience.
The race itself takes place on the weekend of May 16-17th, between the Miami and Canadian F1 Grands Prix, with FIA safety car driver Mayländer offering Verstappen some crucial advice on how to master the full 14.1-mile track.
“I follow everything he does at the Nürburgring,” Mayländer kicks off in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.
“It’s great that we have a Formula 1 champion taking part in the 24 Hours. That’s good for the sport, the fans and the championship.
“I tried to win that race seven times.
“Twice I was very close, once I crashed while we were in the lead. Only in 2000 did everything fall into place and we won.”
According to the German, success at the ‘ring is not a sum of pure talent, but of discipline. “My most important advice? We had a perfect team and a perfect car in 2000, but during every briefing, the message was the same: the drivers have to cooperate with the team.
“If you know the car is good and the speed is there, think about that finish flag. Don’t risk too much.”
The Nürburgring is known for its unpredictability. From sudden rain showers in just one sector to the infamous “Code 60” zones. Mayländer therefore warns Verstappen of the pitfalls that even the best drivers can catch.
“It’s always a bit of luck with the rules and the Code 60 situations. You can get a penalty on your pants that way.
“But the most important thing: stay on the track. Traffic is the biggest lesson I had to learn. Don’t push too hard on the inside.
“In the last 30 years, we have seen that even the fastest cars don’t make it if they take too much risk.”
“We also had one driver in 2000 who took a lot of risks. We really had to contain him and say, ‘Hey, keep it safe.’ We’re on pole, but you don’t have to be first after the first corner.
“The race is incredibly long. If you don’t lead after lap one, maybe you will on lap 50. That option is always there, as long as you keep the car in one piece.”
The interview continues below.
“The most important thing: stay on the track. Traffic is the biggest lesson I had to learn.”
Verstappen in the spotlight
Verstappen’s previous exploits at the Nurburgring have drawn vast audiences, both in-person at the track and through online streams, with Mayländer cautioning against the “pressure” Verstappen will face.
“The spotlight will be on him, maybe only on him,” he says.
“He puts that pressure on himself with everything he has already shown there, and that is fantastic, but a 24-hour race is really very, very long.”
“There are so many fast GT specialists driving around there. I won’t name names, but there are guys who drive there all their lives.
“I hope to be there myself in four weeks to see what happens. It’s going to be fantastic.”
Before Verstappen takes part in the 24 Hours, he will first drive the Qualifiers on the Nordschleife this coming weekend, across April 18-19th.
