– Max Verstappen made his ambitions public on Monday to win the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the Winward team. And also in the GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE), his GT project Verstappen Racing has committed to the brand with the star for several years. But why is Verstappen Racing pilot Thierry Vermeulen not making this switch?
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The son of Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen remains loyal to the Ferrari team Emil Frey in the DTM and in the GTWCE in 2026 and even competes against his friend on the Nordschleife in the Rinaldi Ferrari. “I think Max has made a great choice regarding his dream of expanding his GT team,” says Vermeulen about the switch from Verstappen Racing to Mercedes-AMG, in which he says he was “heavily involved.”
“As for my own career, however, I am very grateful to Emil Frey Racing. They gave me the opportunity to debut and grow in the DTM. We have achieved some great results in recent years – and the Ferrari suits me very well,” he hints that the vehicle also played a role in his decision.
Ferrari against AMG: Verstappen-internal duel in the GTWCE
The 23-year-old Dutchman is convinced of his Ferrari decision in an interview with the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network: “This is definitely the right choice for my career with regard to the coming season.”
It is interesting that the Emil Frey team, with which Max Verstappen made his first Nordschleife attempts, will also start under the Verstappen Racing flag in 2026 in both the DTM and the GTWCE Sprint series.
Photo gallery: DTM 2026: Emil Frey team shows pink Ferrari and Verstappen design
Thus, the Swiss team competes in the Pro class of the GTWCE against the 2 Seas Mercedes of sim racer Chris Lulham and Daniel Juncadella, which also starts with Verstappen Racing branding. “Yes, that’s a bit different than last year,” Vermeulen refers to the 2025 season, when he was still part of the 2 Seas project of Verstappen Racing in the GTWCE.
Vermeulen: “Still have a lot of contact with Max”
“At that time I drove the Aston Martin for them, but I think it’s a big challenge and I’m sure they will also do very well. I hope that we will be a bit better on the track,” Vermeulen looks forward to the internal Verstappen Racing duel.
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The fact that he is not part of the Mercedes project like Max Verstappen himself has no influence on his position at Verstappen Racing. “I still have a lot of contact with Max regarding my own races and projects,” he says. “So not much has really changed for me.”
And for the series and for GT sport, it is “only good” that two different cars are now supported by Verstappen Racing.
Nordschleife duel with Verstappen: “Would have liked to share a car”
But what does Vermeulen say about the fact that he is not in the same car as Verstappen on the Nordschleife and is therefore his competitor? “Of course I would have liked to share the car with him,” he says and finds it “a pity” from a personal point of view that it will not happen.
Photo gallery: Max Verstappen at the 24h Nürburgring 2026: This is what his GT3 Mercedes looks like!
“But I made the decision to continue with Ferrari,” he refers to his entry for the Rinaldi team with Thomas Neubauer, David Perel and Dennis Marschall. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to drive on the Nordschleife, because we all know that it is very different from the DTM, but also from IMSA or other series I have driven in.”
However, he does not rule out a joint start with Verstappen for the future. “Who knows? Hopefully I have a long career. And I’m sure that applies to Max too. As a result, certain opportunities will certainly arise for me in the coming years. Hopefully we can make it happen at some point.”
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