Nordschleife specialist Frank Stippler believes Max Verstappen's
triumph on his GT3 debut was a "logical outcome". Ford Mustang GT3
driver Stippler could only watch and admire as from third on the
grid Verstappen exited Turn 1 in the lead, and from there pulled
away with consummate ease. By the time Verstappen handed over the
Ferrari 296 to team-mate Chris Lulham after his two-hour stint, the
Dutchman's lead was just over a minute. "I indeed had the best view
of things," Stippler told VNLFP when asked about his perspective on
Verstappen's performance. In particular, the German driver
highlighted the quality of Verstappen's machinery. He said: "That
car is the benchmark and in that respect a worthy successor to the
Audi R8, which is now a bit out of date anyway." Verstappen's car
proved to be an incredible machine for the occasion, although it
has rarely been used at the Nordschleife, as pinpointed by
Stippler. "We have seen in the last two years how good that car is,
and in that time we have not seen that car here very often," said
Stippler. "On Friday, that car was already going well during
practice when I was behind Max for some time." Verstappen victory
not a surprise While Verstappen did have an excellent car at his
disposal, Stippler, who finished third, revealed that he was not
surprised by the four-time F1 champion claiming victory. "As
everyone knows, he is the best track driver in the world," remarked
Stippler. "That's why I'm not surprised by his overall win. The
Ferrari is the best car here, in terms of balance as well as
performance. "When you also combine that with a driver lineup of
that calibre, winning is the only logical outcome. Their
performance was superb." Ahead of the event, Verstappen and Lulham
spent hours preparing for the four-hour event, both on the
simulator and in real-life testing. "The conditions were familiar
to them and the track was also clearly familiar territory for them
[from the simulator]," added Stippler. "And Verstappen and Chris
Lulham are good enough to handle traffic smartly." Given
Verstappen's intent to compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Red
Bull driver will likely be back in the NLS Series at some point,
something Stippler is unconcerned about. "I'm more concerned with
myself, we have our own problems to solve. So Max does not interest
me much in that respect," he said. "He's arguably the best driver
in the world, so I find all this discussion about his lap times
absolutely laughable. You can't deny that something crucial is
missing from the whole thing. "In Formula 1, the others are missing
something crucial, so why would that be different in GT3? That's
just crazy. But anyway, I can't say anything more about that."
triumph on his GT3 debut was a "logical outcome". Ford Mustang GT3
driver Stippler could only watch and admire as from third on the
grid Verstappen exited Turn 1 in the lead, and from there pulled
away with consummate ease. By the time Verstappen handed over the
Ferrari 296 to team-mate Chris Lulham after his two-hour stint, the
Dutchman's lead was just over a minute. "I indeed had the best view
of things," Stippler told VNLFP when asked about his perspective on
Verstappen's performance. In particular, the German driver
highlighted the quality of Verstappen's machinery. He said: "That
car is the benchmark and in that respect a worthy successor to the
Audi R8, which is now a bit out of date anyway." Verstappen's car
proved to be an incredible machine for the occasion, although it
has rarely been used at the Nordschleife, as pinpointed by
Stippler. "We have seen in the last two years how good that car is,
and in that time we have not seen that car here very often," said
Stippler. "On Friday, that car was already going well during
practice when I was behind Max for some time." Verstappen victory
not a surprise While Verstappen did have an excellent car at his
disposal, Stippler, who finished third, revealed that he was not
surprised by the four-time F1 champion claiming victory. "As
everyone knows, he is the best track driver in the world," remarked
Stippler. "That's why I'm not surprised by his overall win. The
Ferrari is the best car here, in terms of balance as well as
performance. "When you also combine that with a driver lineup of
that calibre, winning is the only logical outcome. Their
performance was superb." Ahead of the event, Verstappen and Lulham
spent hours preparing for the four-hour event, both on the
simulator and in real-life testing. "The conditions were familiar
to them and the track was also clearly familiar territory for them
[from the simulator]," added Stippler. "And Verstappen and Chris
Lulham are good enough to handle traffic smartly." Given
Verstappen's intent to compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Red
Bull driver will likely be back in the NLS Series at some point,
something Stippler is unconcerned about. "I'm more concerned with
myself, we have our own problems to solve. So Max does not interest
me much in that respect," he said. "He's arguably the best driver
in the world, so I find all this discussion about his lap times
absolutely laughable. You can't deny that something crucial is
missing from the whole thing. "In Formula 1, the others are missing
something crucial, so why would that be different in GT3? That's
just crazy. But anyway, I can't say anything more about that."
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