[Artemis]

Franz Hermann: Fast Ferrari Franz aka Max Verstappen.







Excerpt translation:
"According to information from Auto Motor und Sport, Verstappen is reportedly planning to obtain the so-called Nordschleife permit this year. This special racing license is required to participate in official NLS events and also in the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
During a winner's interview at a DNLS event last year, the racing driver had already expressed his interest in real racing: "The Nürburgring Nordschleife is one of my absolute favorite racetracks, and I hope that in a few years I can also compete here with a real GT3.""
https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/...rrari-296-gt3/

"Franz Hermann" in action with a Ferrari at The Green Hell aka The Ring:

In the end, Verstappen's Ferrari had to be towed away from the track during the test day. Car stopped alongside the track (apparently when Verstappen's team mate Chris Lulham was driving it). No physical damage discernible.

[Robin_NL]

Max spotted @Nordschleife in 296 GT3

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2025/...dschleife.html




"Sources have suggested that the four-time F1 World Champion may make a GT3 race appearance in the coming months."

Cheers
Robin

[G30M]

in a Ferrari perhaps

[Marcoose]

This kid has potential.

[///M Power-Belgium]

MAX tried to escape from all the media by using the fake drivers name 'Franz Hermann'
It was to get his GT3 drivers license . But MAX nailed a new Nurburgring GT3 lap record (!)

[Artemis]

Rumor has it that Verstappen set a new GT3 lap time record at The Ring (NLS):

• previous NLS GT3 lap record: 7:49.578
  Christian Krognes (Norway) - Nov 5, 2022 - BMW M4 GT3 - 46th NIMEX DMV 4h Race (Nürburgring Endurance Series)
• new NLS GT3 lap record: 7:48
  Max Verstappen (NL) - May 9, 2025 - Ferrari 296 GT3 - Free practice with traffic

Misha Charoudin and Alex Albon:

[Artemis]

Apart from the 24 Hours of Nürburgring someday (not yet the 2025 edition: June 21-22 - in between F1 Canada and F1 Austria race weekends), Verstappen also has his eyes on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Three drivers required. It's no secret that he always had the highest esteem for Alonso. He agreed with Alonso to team up for a future 24 Hours of Le Mans edition (not yet the 2025 edition: June 14-15 - overlap with the F1 Canada race weekend). They're looking for a third driver to complete their Le Mans team. Nyck de Vries is considered.

From earlier this year:
"Verstappen shares update on joining forces with Alonso
RN365 - 4 Feb 2025
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...es-with-alonso

Max Verstappen has again addressed his desire to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside fellow F1 drivers' champion Fernando Alonso.
Max Verstappen has reiterated his and Fernando Alonso's plans to compete together in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It has long been established the two F1 drivers' champions have their eyes on the famous race, which forms a third of motorsport's triple crown, alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.
Even now, the 27-year-old maintains he and the Spaniard know they "want to do it", which means the more pertinent questions are when and with whom?
Verstappen, who has been linked to the Aston Martin F1 seat alongside Alonso, is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, so it is unlikely to happen before that point.
The four-time F1 drivers' champion has suggested in the past his current deal could be his last, or penultimate, in F1. He has also made clear how much he would like to race at Le Mans alongside his father, Jos.
However, the elder Verstappen is apparently not interested, which means the 63-time grand prix winner and Alonso would need to choose someone else to form their three-driver entry.
"It's in the back of our minds, we know that we want to do it," Verstappen told British newspaper The Mirror about his and Alonso's plans. "[My dad] is still very good at it, [but] he doesn't want to. He just doesn't want to do it anymore."
He added: "It's fine. Let's see what happens. A lot of things can happen. There are many great drivers that you can pick from. I have a lot of friends who also race, so it will be hard to pick one."

Verstappen suggests adding fellow Dutch world champion
It is a topic that has come up time and again for Verstappen, and Alonso being part of the picture has remained a constant throughout.
In late 2023, the Dutchman revealed he and the two-time F1 drivers' champion had discussed teaming up for the 24-hour race.
However, as someone considered heavy by racing driver standards, Verstappen insists the third driver alongside them would need to be light, like Alonso.
"Well, I've been speaking to Fernando about it. He said he would only want to do it with me again," he said at the time. "So I was like, 'Wow, that would be really cool.'
"The only thing is that, for Le Mans, there is not a minimum weight for the driver.
"I’m quite a heavy driver, so I’d need to find light team-mates to compensate. Fernando is quite light, so it would be quite good. But we’d need to find another one, so I need to have a look."
Last year, he forwarded a name that could fit the bill - fellow Dutchman and Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, who has already competed at the Circuit de la Sarthe on three previous occasions.
"One [driver] I would like to definitely have in the team is Nyck de Vries. He's fast and he's very light," Verstappen told F1 eSports star Jarno Opmeer.
"For the moment, when you're very fast and very light around Le Mans, it's great.""

[NickyC]

Wow, Max is just unbelievable.

That would be so cool to see a Le Mans team with Max and Alonso!

[GuidoK]

My money is on Hulkenberg, so a Verstappen-Alonso-Hulkenberg team for LeMans

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Rumor has it that Verstappen set a new GT3 lap time record at The Ring

i want to see how he fares against seasoned Ring pros like Kevin Estre, David Pittard, over a 24 hr period.

last year the entire night was taken over by fog and the race never restarted in the morning, what a shame.

better weather this year?

[DP's lap starts at 11:30]

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by G30M

i want to see how he fares against seasoned Ring pros like Kevin Estre, David Pittard, over a 24 hr period.

last year the entire night was taken over by fog and the race never restarted in the morning, what a shame.

better weather this year?

[DP's lap starts at 11:30]

The peculiar thing is that, if you take a closer look at the events competed by the previous NLS GT3 record holder Christian Krognes (see here), you'll notice that that Norwegian driver has spent a substantial part of his career racing at the Nürburgring, lapping it countless times. In 2022 he set the NLS GT3 lap record (7:49.578).

Fast forward to last Friday. Verstappen arrives at the circuit. Rookie in the GT3 real world - no license yet to race the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (real world - no sim racing). Boards a Ferrari 296 GT3. Laps 'The Green Hell' several times, slaloming through 'slow' traffic (no race event - video material shows drivers failing to keep up or giggling when Verstappen overtakes them), venturing the dynamics of the GT3 car when raced in real life at the Nürburgring. *BOOM*: NLS GT3 lap record (7:48). Bossed it - "Veni, vidi, vici". He leaves. Later, his team mate Chris Lulham gets stranded with the car next to the circuit, required to be towed away.

[wizardofOz]

When my future children grow up, I will tell the story about this famous person called Franz Hermann....None of this Max verstappen shenanigan

[HeelToeShift]

This is literally why Max is in another planetary system than anyone else in racing. Without much time, he can go out in any car (even those he is not familiar with at all!), any class, and set lap records with full tanks and in very clumsy traffic. Not sure aside from Jim Clark have we seen anyone remotely like this and even then Jim would probably tell you Max is next level.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by NickyC

Wow, Max is just unbelievable.

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

When my future children grow up, I will tell the story about this famous person called Franz Hermann....None of this Max verstappen shenanigan

Originally Posted by HeelToeShift

This is literally why Max is in another planetary system than anyone else in racing. Without much time, he can go out in any car (even those he is not familiar with at all!), any class, and set lap records with full tanks and in very clumsy traffic. Not sure aside from Jim Clark have we seen anyone remotely like this and even then Jim would probably tell you Max is next level.

Max The Machine - Saturday May 18, 2024 to Sunday May 19, 2024:

• 12:30pm-1:30pm: 1h F1 Free Practice 3 at Imola - P6
• 4pm-5pm: 1h F1 Qualies Q1-Q2-Q3 at Imola - P1 (pole position)
• afterwards: F1 press interviews at Imola
• 8:40pm-11:35pm: almost 3h sim GT3 evening stint at Nürburgring 24h race (hours of darkness) - P1 (race leader)
• after midnight: watches Usyk-Fury world heavyweight title fight
• 9:15pm-10:15pm: 1h sim GT3 morning stint at Nürburgring 24h race (daylight) - P1 (race leader)
• afterwards: joined the Discord channel - Twitch - Team Redline teammates
• 2:50pm: sim Team Redline wins Nürburgring 24h race (GT3) - P1 (race win)
• 3pm-4:30pm: F1 race at Imola - P1 (race win)
• afterwards: F1 press interviews at Imola

"Verstappen wins two races in one day while at Imola
ESPN - May 19, 2024
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/4...-one-day-imola
(...) Verstappen indicated Imola's bumpy track had caused him more trouble in the end.
"I'm just broken from the bumps, to be honest. My back, everything is hurting. It's not so much from the physical side of things, but just it was so bumpy out there. Already after like 20 laps, I could really feel my back," he said.
"So I'm just looking forward to laying in bed. Maybe take some painkillers. And a massage."

As Verstappen's sim rig didn't fit inside an F2 trailer, it was transported to Imola with a flower vendor truck...

"Verstappen manages two wins in one day thanks to iRacing N24
By Morgan Raynal | May 19, 2024 4:46 PM ET
https://racer.com/2024/05/19/verstap...to-iracing-n24
Max Verstappen is known to participate in sim racing events during downtime from his busy F1 schedule. Impressively, this weekend the three-time world champion won both the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and the Nürburgring 24-hour on iRacing.
On Friday, Team Redline announced that Verstappen would be driving the No. 20 BMW GT3, and naturally his fans wondered how he would participate during the F1 race weekend.
The Dutchman had a special racing simulator made that would be small enough to fit in his motorhome close to the Imola circuit.
“We were supposed to ship it in a Formula 2 trailer with MP Motorsport, but the sim was just a tiny bit too big, so it didn’t fit, but they helped us out greatly,” said Atze Kerkhof, Director of Team Redline.
MP Motorsport came up with a solution and sent the sim rig with a flower vendor who was headed to Imola anyway.
“The sim got shipped in a bus or in a trailer with flowers to Imola… He had everything pre-connected, so basically it was almost plug-and-play,” Kerkof said.
Verstappen took pole position in Imola qualifying, which ended at 5:00 p.m. CEST. Meanwhile, his Redline teammate Diogo Pinto was starting the 24-hour race. By 8:45 p.m. Verstappen was driving his first two-and-a-half hour night stint at the Nürburgring.
After some sleep and solid stints by Pinto, Chris Lulham, and Florian Lebigre, Verstappen returned for another two hours at “the Ring” before doing 63 laps around Imola in his Red Bull.
At the end of his second and final stint, he joined the Discord channel with Twitch stream commentator Luke Crane and Team Redline teammates.
“Right, mate, that was lovely,” said Verstappen. Crane congratulated him on a nice final stint and Verstappen replied, “Yeah, extended the gap a bit, very lovely… I have to go.”
Chris Lulham drove the final stint for the No. 20 and secured the win for Team Redline after 24 hours. Fifteen minutes later, Verstappen took the green flag at Imola.
The Dutchman dominated the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix; McLaren driver Lando Norris was a close second and Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari."

Sim racing - iRacing N24 (Nürburgring 24h (GT3)) from a trailer at the F1 Imola circuit:


F1 racing - F1 Imola 2024 podium:

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

When my future children grow up, I will tell the story about this famous person called Franz Hermann....None of this Max verstappen shenanigan

Hermans Hermits is the only Hermann group I know, play good tunes too..

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by G30M

i want to see how he fares against seasoned Ring pros like Kevin Estre, David Pittard, over a 24 hr period.

last year the entire night was taken over by fog and the race never restarted in the morning, what a shame.

better weather this year?

[DP's lap starts at 11:30]

I'd like to see if PIA or NOR would be up to it to show that their Mclaren drives are not just the car?

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Fast forward to last Friday. Verstappen arrives at the circuit. Rookie in the GT3 real world - no license yet to race the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (real world - no sim racing). Boards a Ferrari 296 GT3. Laps 'The Green Hell' several times, slaloming through 'slow' traffic (no race event - video material shows drivers failing to keep up or giggling when Verstappen overtakes them), venturing the dynamics of the GT3 car when raced in real life at the Nürburgring. *BOOM*: NLS GT3 lap record (7:48). Bossed it - "Veni, vidi, vici". He leaves. Later, his team mate Chris Lulham gets stranded with the car next to the circuit, required to be towed away.

So will his team finish the race, that's what I want to find out.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

I'd like to see if PIA or NOR would be up to it to show that their Mclaren drives are not just the car?

The Ferrari 296 GT3 is regarded as the fastest GT3 car without BOP but it has a narrow operating window.

Not sure what BOP will be applied at the N24. There is always BOP in GT3 racing.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Fast forward to last Friday. Verstappen arrives at the circuit. Rookie in the GT3 real world - no license yet to race the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (real world - no sim racing). Boards a Ferrari 296 GT3.

i have a theory.

he wanted to test whether iRacing or Assetto Corsa Competizione settings are more relatable to the real world.

i also want to know this. on my sim rig, these 2 sims have completely ideas of how cars work.

as far as i know Max races mainly iRacing, so maybe he's using iRacing settings.

[BroDoze]

Dayum. That car and driver. :O

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by G30M

i have a theory.
he wanted to test whether iRacing or Assetto Corsa Competizione settings are more relatable to the real world.
i also want to know this. on my sim rig, these 2 sims have completely ideas of how cars work.
as far as i know Max races mainly iRacing, so maybe he's using iRacing settings.

There is a reason why the Nürburgring is called "The Green Hell". No video game can mimic the strong forces and level differences impacting the dynamics of the car. Countless accidents. Dozens of fatalities.

Several daunting/dangerous sections. For example, after exiting 'Fuchsröhre' ('Foxhole' - a fast downhill section of 'The Ring') heading towards the 'Adenauer Forst' section, there is the very fast section featuring the 'compression point' (low point bump / downhill-uphill point).





This Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (entering the 'Fox Hole' @ 01:12) passes the 'compression point' at 330 km/h @ 01:21:

Toto Wolff entered the 'Fox Hole' @ 02:22 and subsequently lost control at the 'compression point', crashing a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR at 268 km/h (April 15, 2009). He fainted after getting out of the car and was hospitalized with several injuries (he commented that, despite injuries, he instinctively exited the car - survival reflex):

[HeelToeShift]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

I'd like to see if PIA or NOR would be up to it to show that their Mclaren drives are not just the car?

They’re both car only. Let’s remember, last year and the year before their cars were about just outside the top 3 or 4 and they were back markers not scoring any points. Then all of a sudden they became fastest in the grid and they started scoring points and despite the fastest car for 80% of the season they didn’t win. Now they have the biggest pace advantage we have seen this regulation cycle.