– Max Verstappen’s NLS2 appearance continues to make waves in the GT3 world. How the four-time Formula 1 world champion managed to follow Audi driver Christopher Haase closely for laps in his turbulent air on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife leaves even GT3 professionals with their jaws dropping.
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His teammate Dani Juncadella, who will also compete in the GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe 2026 for Verstappen’s team, reveals in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com that Verstappen found a special trick against the loss of grip in the slipstream that even experienced GT3 professionals would never have thought of.
“Actually, he did something quite special there,” Juncadella says, making people sit up and take notice. “We talked about it after the race. It’s something I would never have thought of myself – and I’ve been driving GT cars for a long time. But I’m not going to say what it is, I’d rather keep that to myself. I think it’s a nice trick he discovered there. Maybe I’ll tell it sometime.”
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In Formula 1, the topic of “dirty air” has dominated the debate about boring races for decades. Accordingly, drivers have had to deal with the issue far more than in GT racing. In GT3 vehicles, the effect is significantly smaller, but certainly noticeable.
“Max stayed so close on his heels – it was really impressive how well he understood how he could stay so close,” Juncadella continues. “It was the first time he had to fight behind another car in a GT3.”
Being in a duel with another driver for a complete stint was a new experience for Verstappen. His debut victory at NLS9 last year was a lonely triumph at the front in “clean air.” This time, he had to fight against Haase’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II in the first stint.
Grip level always correctly anticipated
What also thrilled the 34-year-old was how quickly Verstappen found the car’s limit: “It’s less the driving style itself than the confidence. It’s impressive to see how he gets into a car he hardly knows, on a track that requires extreme confidence – and is still on pace from the first moment. That’s just Max.”
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Verstappen often attributes his feel for the limit of vehicles to countless hours in karts on wet tracks when the grip level is constantly changing. Added to this are countless hours in sim racing, where the limit must be reached without a “seat-of-the-pants feel.”
“Through all the races he has driven in GT cars in sim racing, he understands very well how to drive against others and read situations,” Juncadella confirms.
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While Verstappen provided the fireworks in the early stages, Juncadella had the task of managing the lead through a stint fragmented by Code 60 phases. The fact that he, unlike Verstappen, could not break the eight-minute mark bothers the Spaniard little – the data speaks for itself.
“We were all over eight minutes because of these Code 60 phases. But I felt comfortable at the front,” he explains. “We didn’t really have to deal with the Audi anymore because Christopher’s teammate [Nico Hantke] was driving there, who still needs a few laps on the Nordschleife.” It was Hantke’s first race in the Audi on the Nordschleife.
When Juncadella handed over the wheel to Jules Gounon, the lead had already grown to 20 to 30 seconds. “Basically, that had already largely decided the outcome of the race,” the Spaniard concludes. It resulted in an outstanding victory with a one-minute lead, which was later stripped from the team due to the use of too many sets of tires.
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