Max Verstappen revealed this week that he was denied permission by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko to take part in the team's special event at the famous Nurburgring circuit later this year. The event will feature Sebastian Vettel driving the 2011 RB7 car and Daniel Ricciardo piloting an RB8 from 2012, marking a return of Formula 1 machinery at the iconic track after ten years.
Speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen shared that while there were discussions about him joining Vettel and Ricciardo on-track, those plans were quickly dismissed due to concerns about pushing boundaries too far.
"I wanted to do it, but I was not allowed by Helmut," explained Verstappen. "He knew that I would try and go to the limits. I would have loved to do it."
Although Verstappen could potentially influence decisions within Red Bull, he saw little point in pursuing further negotiations regarding participation in this particular event given their initial refusal.
"I didn't want unnecessary issues," stated Verstappen. "I heard about this opportunity coming up, and Helmut was present when it came up on our table during discussions; however, he immediately turned down my request."
While Vettel's and Ricciardo's demonstrations serve as spectacles rather than competitive runs aiming for lap records or outright speed achievements around one of motorsport’s most challenging circuits - known as the "Green Hell" - Verstappen admitted that he would have been tempted to push for a record-breaking lap.
The current lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife is held by Timo Bernhard, who set an astonishing time of 5 minutes and 19.55 seconds in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo in 2018.
"I would have definitely given it a go," Verstappen confessed with a smile. "But you need more than just demo tires; you require proper racing tires, which are not allowed for such events."
Verstappen also expressed his opinion that running on the treacherous Nordschleife circuit with an older Formula 1 car posed no greater risk than some of the tracks currently on the F1 calendar.
Michael Schumacher in W02, 2013
"It's risky to drive anywhere," Verstappen remarked thoughtfully. "It all depends on how you hit barriers or walls, but obviously avoiding collisions is always part of our plan. Hopefully, one day I'll get the chance to experience it."
When asked about which vehicle he would prefer to run during such an event, Verstappen responded by saying: "Ideally, doing it in an F1 car would be amazing. However, if that's not possible due to restrictions, perhaps one day I could participate using a GT3 car."
