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Ralf Schumacher watched Max Verstappen's performance at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring and ran out of ways to describe what he saw. The former driver was left shaking his head in admiration at moves that he cannot imagine any other current Formula 1 driver attempting.
What Schumacher Actually Witnessed
Verstappen shared the number 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella, and Lucas Auer and spent much of the race in a direct fight with the sister car driven at various points by Maro Engel. Verstappen's night stint in particular built a meaningful gap over the rest of the field. He overtook on the grass. He attacked on sections where most drivers in a 24-hour race would be managing the situation.
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Schumacher spoke about it on the Backstage Boxengasse podcast without attempting to understate what he had seen. "I have to be honest: truly incredible what he produced there. He took every risk. I think nobody else would have dared to do this. He made some moves and even overtook on the grass. Absolutely unbelievable. He was clearly faster than everyone else. Except for Engel, who could honestly match the same pace."
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Schumacher extended the observation to the performance gap within Verstappen's own crew. "In his team, Juncadella and Auer really stood in his shadow. I think they were falling short by around three seconds. That is quite a significant gap." The gap to his own teammates is the clearest measure of what Verstappen was actually doing, independent of the overall race context.
What the Nurburgring Proved About Formula 1
Schumacher's final thought was about what Verstappen's performance communicated to the rest of the motorsport world. "I think he showed everyone up there that he is a Formula 1 driver for a reason. And I think many people came to realise that Formula 1 has a very different status in motorsport." The comment carries an implication: drivers from other categories should not assume the gap can be closed easily, regardless of how good they are in their own discipline.
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