Verstappen Stuns DTM Engineer During Private Test At Mugello

Saturday, 03 August 2024 at 14:00

Red Bull racing formula 1 driver Max Verstappen impressed DTM engineer Graziano Michelacci during a private testing session at Mugello Circuit.

Max Verstappen is only 26 years old, but his achievments in Formula 1 already put him amongst the best drivers in the history of the sport.

It is clear that the triple World Champion is a generational talent and that he wouldn't be able to achieve what he did if he wasn't so great.

Consequently, people tend to have high expectations when they see him in different cars. However, what is incredible is that he still manages to exceed them, just like he did when he tested Thierry Vermeulen's Ferrari 296 DTM car at Mugello Circuit (Verstappen's favorite).

In Viaplay's TV series 'Verstappen—Off The Beaten Track', Graziano Michelacci, head of track engineering at Emil Frey Racing (the team for which Thierry Vermeulen drives), told the story of how Verstappen left him astonished.

"I usually know what to expect from certain drivers, but this was really unexpected. He improved his lap times in a way that doesn't exist in real life. Even if you expect something like this from Verstappen, you're still surprised."

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"It's stories like that that you share later in the future when you're on the road with your friends in a van."

The 26-year-old impressed not only the head of track engineering but also the driver to whom the Ferrari belonged - Vermeulen.

The DTM driver described something that multiple people refer to when talking about World Champions. Verstappen jumped in the car, and he didn't need much time to adjust; he was fast right away.

"Everyone can drive a fast lap at some point, but he is capable of it so quickly. Even though he is dealing with a new car, he can drive around the problems and use all his talent and experience to be fast right away."