Max Verstappen has been a ruthless force in the world of F1 over the past couple of seasons, but the three-time world champion is also interested in motorsport outside of open-wheel racing. The Dutchman has been secretly testing for the Emil Frey Racing team, which competes in the esteemed DTM series.
Verstappen’s passion for racing outside of F1 has been public knowledge for some time now. The 26-year-old regularly spends his free time in his home simulator rig, driving in a multitude of different series on the iRacing platform.
He has also made clear his intentions to race outside of F1 while still in his prime. While there has been little interest in attempting the Indy500 in search of motorsport’s triple crown, Verstappen has stated his desire to compete in endurance racing events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Verstappen has also been getting busy behind the scenes in sports car racing. As revealed by Blick, the Dutchman has been secretly testing for the Emil Frey Racing team, working to improve the setups for friend and driver Thierry Vermeulen.
Speaking to Blick about his input, team manager Lorenz Frey-Hilti said: “Max is very straightforward, a very down-to-earth guy, very nice, with no star quality. Watching him work is extremely fascinating. After one or two laps, he’s already reached top speed and works extremely meticulously. You can feel how immense his passion for racing is.”
Frey-Hilti did admit that the team was initially confused as to why Verstappen had made the request to work with them, however, his friendship with Vermeulen was an obvious motivating factor. “There are countless GT3 teams,” he noted. “It was a great honour to be asked. Even if, at the beginning, we didn’t really know what was behind this request.”
The team boss then offered an insight into the Red Bull star’s duties with the team, explaining: “Max follows a clear test plan and makes very useful statements to our engineers.
“He makes a very tangible contribution to our being faster. Also because it adapts very well to what Thierry needs. Of course, Thierry is Max’s friend, but Max wants to see performance. As a coach, he gives him strict and clear directives.
Verstappen’s impact can be measured in the team’s results. Vermeulen failed to score a top-ten finish in the first six rounds of the 2023 DTM season but did so in seven of the following ten en route to a 16th-place finish in the standings.
