translation of the second post: one look says a thousand words: the face after fighting verstappen for an hour on the nordschleife (with paradise by coldplay playing in the bg)
Driver’s eye: The ‘incredible’ Max Verstappen technique that shook up the Nürburgring
In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Haase – whose #16 Audi failed to finish last weekend – has echoed Winkelhock’s assessment, revealing the secrets behind Verstappen’s approach to traffic at the Nordschleife.
Haase explained that Verstappen’s technique involves lifting off the throttle on the approach to a corner, allowing him to enjoy a better run on the exit.
He said of Verstappen’s performances: “He’s amazing. Coming to this category on this track – this is an incredible track, so difficult – and being straight away on pace, but also having this mentality in terms of the traffic management? What I have seen on traffic management was incredible.”
“Sometimes you need to lift before a corner [so] you get a better run on the exit of traffic, but with this you need to read and have a feeling for it. It takes some guys years to get to this level. With him, [as early as] NLS2, I already felt he’s doing this already, With this, I was really surprised. Obviously, traffic management is super risky. Even for me, I did this so many times. It’s just a matter of time that it goes wrong. We have to be honest also in this way, but that’s part of the game here. We just tried to keep it on the road and no mistakes, but it’s something which will pop up [at some stage]. You cannot plan this, but that shows how sometimes it’s not in your hands.”
Recalling his first on-track encounter with Verstappen earlier this year, Haase said he was shocked that Verstappen managed to stay so close to him through certain sections of the track.
He explained: “What I felt in NLS2, when we met for the first time on track let’s say, when he was behind me I was really surprised how close he was able to follow in the dirty air. To follow in dirty air, the Nordschleife is not that easy. There are tricks where you can probably deal with it to make it better. I felt like he was really close on some corners, which is hard to believe. I know also other guys who can do that, but coming [from Formula 1 it’s impressive].”
Haase added that he understands the appeal of the Nürburgring to a driver like Verstappen, pointing to the intensity of the competition and the challenges posed by both the circuit and GT3 machinery.
He said: “This is definitely the best thing that could happen to this event, because it obviously is a smaller bubble. It doesn’t have so much attention, but the actual competition in this category is amazing. I don’t know if I want to say ‘harder’, but there is a lot of competition in comparison to F1. In F1, you have a gap between different manufacturers. You always have a gap and the cars are limited. Here, you can have 40-50 cars on track. Here, we have 161 – OK, not the same category – but on other events like the GT World Challenge you can have 40-50 cars in the same category, which makes the competition extremely tough. Extremely, extremely tough. I fully understand that with the Nordschleife, the track itself is a hard challenge, being in a GT3 car is a challenge on track, so I fully understand why he wants to do this and wants to compete in this environment. We have to say thanks to him that he’s giving us the boost the sport needs, to be honest.”
looking at the gt3 polycule content feels like playing with your dolls except the dolls are fully autonomous and you just watch them do this shit out of their own free will
Fanfic idea. It would be cute if Max suddenly turned into a child (or a teenager from 2015) and everyone else from NLS had to deal with this chaos.
At first, I thought about doing something bolder, but then I thought, oh, Max literally tried to shake hands after a win, then held the door for everyone… what a cute little puppy. So yeah, here the focus is more on soft Max and the realization… of everything.
I hope you like it, dear anon. If anything, you can always write, and I'll do something differently.
3k | max & nls
"That's… unexpected."
The silence was awkward. Absolutely the entire garage froze, staring in shock at the small figure sitting in the corner. Thin, disproportionate to the typical teenage build, and completely buried in clothes noticeably too big for him. And it was their Max. Just younger, clearly younger.
"He looks like a child," Chris looked him over, earning a curious, squinted look from blue eyes in return.
The silence dragged on. No one was pretending not to stare anymore, slowly approaching the increasingly bristling teenager. Max looked around, disappointed not to find a single familiar face. Some vaguely reminded him of someone, but the recognition just circled in the back of his mind. He didn't remember how he got here, but a vague understanding that this was some kind of curse quickly flashed through his head. It didn't make things easier.
"Who are you?" his voice was higher, clearer, but with the same soft hoarseness that marked him as the same person.
"Well, how to tell you, or rather, where to begin," Jules ran his hand over his forehead, leaving it there and pressing down, completely disoriented. Chris next to him shrugged, crossing his arms.
"You can start from the beginning," Max gestured with his hand, readjusting himself in his seat. Slightly easing the tension that had settled in his shoulders. He sat up straight, clasped his hands together, and licked his lips impatiently.
"Well, we're your teammates," Dani came closer with curiosity, squatting down by Max's feet and looking up at him. "Do you know me?"
"Old man," Max made a face, as his hands flew to his thighs. "I have no idea who you are."
"Ah," Dani's mouth fell open in shock, slowly glancing at the others, but then he smirked, quickly catching Max's interest. "We met when we gave you an award, how could you have forgotten?"
"What award?" his eyes lit up, a small spark clearly visible in his blue irises. Without hiding it, he leaned towards the seated Dani, carefully watching his face. His lips parted, making him look charming and impatient.
"Ah, something related to Formula One," Dani put on a faux-thoughtful face, as Max's eyes widened and his mouth formed a clear 'o' shape. "You looked, I think, just like this."
"I'm joining the team next week."
Max hurriedly spat out the words and fidgeted in place. His thoughts raced through his head in real-time, making it too obvious what he was thinking about. Chris smiled, Jules rolled his eyes at Dani's teasing, but also softened at the sight of the hesitant teenager. It was charming, especially when he started fidgeting with his hands without thinking.
"You don't have to worry," Dani ruffled his hair like a little puppy, melting when Max frowned in response, but a blush also habitually spread across his face. Some things hadn't changed over the years. "But right now, we have a free practice session, and we're not entirely sure what to do with you."
"I'm participating," Max replied haltingly, looking at Dani with such a confident yet puppy-dog expression that Dani couldn't help an excited gasp.
"Do you even know what series we're in?" Chris adjusted Max's oversized jacket curiously, making him look at the uniform.
"No, but does it matter?" Max batted his eyelashes as if the question was too discouragingly stupid to even consider.
"We're in GT," Jules and the mechanics stepped back slightly, revealing the Mercedes.
Dani almost fell over from how fast Max stood up and, in a few steps, was next to the car. He already reached out his hand to touch the bodywork, but unexpectedly pressed it to his chest and looked pitifully at Jules standing nearby. Jules didn't immediately understand what Max wanted from him, until Max impatiently started rocking from heel to toe.
"Ah, how polite he is," Dani got up and came closer, drawing the boy's attention. "You can touch it, kid."
Max nodded, immediately happily practically lying down on the car. He was like a little hurricane, darting here and there, sometimes staring at certain details. Quietly, so quietly it was almost inaudible, he began excitedly muttering to himself, reverently tracing every painted line. Until he came across the writing. 'Verstappen.com.'
Blue eyes looked up, searching for someone, anyone. Chris caught his gaze and looked questioningly at Dani, who shrugged. Max blushed, hesitated, clearly wanting to say something but not daring to. His teeth sank into his lower lip again and again, until something seemed to dawn on him.
"Um, and where's dad?"
"No idea, maybe somewhere at a rally," Dani thought for a moment, then gave the most likely answer.
"If you're worried that he might show up, you cut all ties with him five years ago," Jules tried anxiously to read the expression on Max's face, knowing all the stories that connected little Verstappen with his father. But that didn't seem to be what was bothering him.
"Then…" Max paused, stuttering slightly. "Here, well, what's this sponsor about?"
Everyone looked at where Max was pointing and couldn't help but giggle, their lips involuntarily stretching into smiles. Max blushed, but the hope and nervousness burning in his eyes were so obvious that no one could resist his charm.
"Ah, that's the team owner," Chris said it so casually, as if Max's world hadn't just flipped several times and apparently shattered, making way for something new.
"Yes, an extremely nice person, also the best driver," Dani watched as Max bit his lip and turned away, hiding his completely red face. It was so pure and sincere that no one wanted to interrupt the moment. Even despite the openness of the adult Max, seeing his teenage version press against the car as if wanting to merge with it was still shocking.
"Will I still have time to adopt him?" Dani chuckled, watching the reverence in Max's eyes in front of the car. He slowly traced the writing with strange feelings, but his trembling fingers didn't want to stop.
"I'm afraid to imagine what would grow up under your care," Jules choked, receiving a noticeable poke in the ribs from an innocently smiling Dani, and fell silent conciliatorily.
"At least, until the curse lifts, we should take care of him. I think we can leave him here while practice is going on."
Max suddenly lifted his head, interested. His fingers gripped the car tighter as the gears in his head turned at a speed of no less than three hundred kilometers per hour. His lips automatically pouted when he realized they wouldn't let him behind the wheel.
"Actually, there's no rule forbidding drivers from participating with a curse that impairs their skills," Max used the rules he knew, hoping they were still relevant. He licked his lips impatiently when Chris opened the driver's door for him. Apparently, winning the lottery was nothing compared to this.
"Yes, but because of one driver, they introduced a rule banning children from participating in races," Dani grinned, but Max, already examining the dashboard, didn't notice.
"A terrible oversight, they don't know what they're doing," Max said absently, while Chris began to quietly explain, feeling the heavy gaze of Jules on his shoulder blades, who clearly didn't approve of Max's involvement in all this.
"Oh, they know very well, but you're not going out on a track you don't know, in a car you don't know," Jules crossed his arms, looking skeptically at Max getting acquainted with the steering wheel. Dani muttered something like 'mean mommy', but Jules habitually ignored it.
"That's not a problem. It's practice, that's what it's for," Max quickly switched his attention, asking clarifying questions to Chris, who seemed to be relishing their little rebellion.
"We're at the Nürburgring."
"…Okay, that's a small problem," Max thought for a second, but almost immediately came to a solution in his head and nodded to himself.
"Tell your uncle your full name, I'll adopt you right now," Dani received a retaliatory poke from Jules, but couldn't help grinning, while Max was simply… Max.
"Whatever gets me driving this car," Max smiled, charmingly and shrewdly looking at the stunned and delighted Dani.
"My little demon is already ready to terrorize the track," Dani laughed, while Max beamed, clearly anticipating his victory.
"Okay, fine, but he's still not 18," Jules sighed, knowing the argument would lead nowhere.
"I am," Max lied without batting an eye, while his fingers gently stroked the steering wheel.
"You just admitted you're going to Formula One next week, you're not anywhere near 18," Jules raised an eyebrow mockingly, seeing Max first pout, then shift all his attention to them, absently continuing to stroke the car.
"But they don't know that," he paused, then added questioningly, "I'm the team principal, I say don't tell them, right?"
"Oh, he's already playing the team principal card," Chris laughed, doubling over, while Max tried to keep a straight face, but still blushed down to his chest, subtly hiding his head in his shoulders.
"Technically, we could pull this off," Jules hummed thoughtfully. "There's no way to prove you're younger."
"Yes, absolutely no way," Max quickly nodded, looking at his teammates one after another with hope. Future teammates. They were, sort of, even pleasant.
"We have a simulator. You can practice," Chris absently stroked Max's head, when he froze, then leaned into the hand, hoping it wasn't too noticeable.
"Oh, I have a simulator too, I know how to use it," the hand in his hair froze, making Max tense.
"Ah, about that…" Dani bit his lip, trying not to laugh.
"You have a sim racing team," Chris continued to stroke him, while Max seemed to lose consciousness from happiness.
Max barely recovered from the shock, speaking haltingly, losing words and switching to Dutch almost every other word. Chris walked beside him, showing him on the phone — which also greatly surprised Max — various videos, team posts, view counts, and follower numbers. And so they smoothly moved to the portable simulator, which was already an integral part of their lives. The patient explanation of all the new features was long and arduous. But he absorbed it like a sponge; his young, flexible mind tirelessly ready to learn more and more, while simultaneously exploring the new technology.
"It's not like Formula One, you need to save your brakes, be gentler with them." Max obeyed; his times gradually improved. It wasn't the stellar Max with ten years of Formula One experience, but it was slowly approaching the lower end of average results, which was enough for what he wanted most of all — to get behind the wheel right now.
"You're doing very well, come on, good job." Max quickly glanced at him but didn't respond. It was strange, unfamiliar. Not like his father — he would have criticized him a long time ago — this was softer, nicer, making him want to show a better result to earn praise again.
"That's it, break. Children need to eat five times a day," Dani entered with small containers and several utensils. Both Max and Chris looked at him strangely, while Max also grimaced.
"I'm not a child," Max narrowed his eyes dangerously but reluctantly let go of the wheel.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night," Dani hummed, habitually laying out the food. His movements were light, confident, as if he had done this for them many times before, and it stirred something strange inside. "Jules went to eat with Maro; they arranged it yesterday."
Max nodded, having absolutely no idea who that was. And assuming that Jules was the third of his teammates. He ate, inwardly hoping it complied with his diet, though he probably no longer influenced the past. Without any guilt, he confidently took the ice cream that Dani handed him with the same habitual gesture. It seemed too good to be true, but even if it wasn't, no one would stop him from enjoying it.
"Practice is in an hour and a half," Chris glanced at his watch and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
"How are you feeling? Ready?" Dani leaned back with interest, checking the latest simulator results and nodding to himself in satisfaction.
"Yes," Max answered without thinking. If there was one thing he was always ready for, it was racing.
The race suit was too big for him, even though Max's height, as it turned out, hadn't changed at all — which he was a little disappointed about. Putting on a spare uniform, he looked at himself in the mirror. But on the other hand, he fit in the cockpit, which was good news. Max didn't ask anyone else about Formula One. The mere fact that he was here and not at a Grand Prix spoke volumes. Even more so — the absence of his father. He didn't want to think about the reasons, much less know them. But all worries didn't linger when the Mercedes roared in front of him. Yes, he could definitely handle this.
"The seat will be uncomfortable, since it was molded for your adult dimensions." Max nodded; it wouldn't be a problem.
"You'll try a few laps, but no more. After all, this is the Green Hell, and you have almost no practice," Dani adjusted his belts, whispering instructions as close as possible so the cameras couldn't give fans the pleasure of lip-reading. They had already panicked, unexpectedly noticing how Max was deflating. Fan images of a deflated blowfish Max became a new viral meme.
The car felt different, lighter but heavier. The simulator gave him an understanding, but the live feeling was indescribable. Max drove as if it were already a race where he needed to make up a hundred positions, at least. The car obeyed, responding to him as if it were made for him, but even so, he saw the mistakes accumulating, which didn't matter right now. Now there was only him and the track, until the traffic became too heavy.
His heart pounded deafeningly fast in his chest; adrenaline sang inside him, mixing with delight, so much so that he could only admit to himself that a few small tears of joy indeed glistened in the corners of his eyes. It was a lot, so good and so right, so much that he didn't notice how he started driving harder, burning through the tires more than necessary. There wasn't enough time; he already understood that as other cars increasingly filled the track. They had agreed immediately that if the traffic got too heavy, he would come into the pits.
With an unpleasant feeling, he was already planning his exit when a car pulled alongside him. It was hard, a bit on the edge, but exactly in a way that his delight quickly turned into competitive spirit. He was ready to accept that invitation. Without wasting time, he gave it his all, turning into corners sharper, with some satisfaction understanding that his opponent was willing to play. Giving himself entirely, he turned the wheel, shifted braking points to the limit, but was still gradually losing. The Mercedes roared; Max knew he was pushing too hard, but there was no further to go. The turn into pit lane felt like both relief and disappointment at the same time, when he finally jumped out of the car.
His body was humming, his hands flying, as the fast words began to flow again. But they were interrupted when Jules laughed and hugged him tightly. Tightly, lifting him up and pressing him close. Max froze but quickly put his arms around him in return, awkwardly humming, while words still tumbled from his lips.
"Oh, what a battle at the Nordschleife, I just…" Max trailed off when someone started approaching them.
"Hey, Max, Jules," Christopher waved, smiling brightly at him, while Max quickly looked at the equally disoriented Jules. "That was unusual, we're all in shock — what demon possessed you?"
"Uhh, yeah," Max awkwardly hid behind one of the mechanics, who quickly understood the situation and blocked him from view. Up close, it was so easy to understand everything that journalists had to be chased almost off the track boundaries.
"Hey, Chris," Jules walked up to him to shake his hand and give Max some room to maneuver. "We'd love to chat, but we're almost out of time. We have to go."
Chris easily accepted this, not dwelling on it, making everyone present exhale in relief. When suddenly Max stepped forward and gave the man a hug. Max. Adult Max. On whom the race suit was practically bursting at the seams and cutting off blood circulation, it seemed, everywhere. Without letting anyone get their bearings, he followed him into the depths of the garage.
"Max? Max!" Chris gasped in shock, watching Max tear off his suit with astonishing speed.
"Who even lets a child behind the wheel?" Max grumbled, as his hand barely slipped out of the sleeve. "And no adoptions, god."
Chris patted him comfortingly on the back, earning a flat look and a wrinkled expression, so similar yet different from his younger self. Jules giggled, watching. It was strangely fast, shocking, but clearly different. Beneath it all, one could see that something had changed. Max was grumbling but staring into space; he complained out of habit, but they knew each other too well. Finally, he took everything off and put on his uniform. A Red Bull was already in his hand when he fell unusually silent. His fingers drummed on the can, while his gaze was empty. They were silent, feeling the shift, when Chris spoke.
"You okay, buddy?"
"I don't think I ever realized how much life has changed," he sighed, slowly drinking his energy drink.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Jules put an arm around his shoulders, rocking them, making Max smile.
"It's just a lot, all at once," he paused, then added quietly, "Thank you for being there."
"Anything for you," Chris also hugged him.
Max smiled at them, while in his head, awareness slowly built, and in his chest was delight and pride, strangely, in himself. Max closed his eyes, letting himself just rest. For now, that was enough.
