Max Verstappen has never hidden his desire to race in endurance racing after Formula 1 and, this week, he took a step towards that by testing an IMSA prototype.
Thanks to Honda, Red Bull's partner, he drove a GTP for 30 minutes at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, an Acura ARX-06.
And no tongue-in-cheek for Verstappen today in Vegas in front of the media, before the Grand Prix. It's a taste of life after F1.
“Yes, it's not about beating around the bush, I know I want to drive in these kinds of cars in the future. But it's just about finding the time.”
“With such a busy F1 calendar, it's almost impossible because we finish so late in the season and then to prepare properly to race at Daytona or whatever, it's pretty impossible.
“I want to go out there and try to win, be really competitive. The only way to do that is to do proper testing and prepare well, which is not possible at the moment.”
“I think that it is at the moment very difficult to combine with F1. In a context of increasingly intense competition, we cannot divide our time between F1 and GTP. For my part, when I participate for something, I have to be well prepared.”
“But who knows? Maybe in a few years. I'll still be young enough and I'll be able to drive these cars.”
What was Max's objective for this first ride?
“Have a first impression, of course, and on this circuit there were quite a few low-speed corners.”
“The car really comes alive in the high speeds but it was very nice. I've driven these cars in simulation before, but getting a first impression in real life was really cool.”
“I tried to find the limits step by step without overdoing it because it’s not necessary at all, and to have a little fun.”