Dani Juncadella has revealed that Max Verstappen discovered a specific "trick" to handle the aero-wash behind other cars that even seasoned GT3 pros hadn't thought of.
The Dutchman's handling of his first real Nordschleife battle has been subject of study by GT3 veterans.
While the headlines focused on the post-race disqualifcation of the #3 Winward Mercedes, the real story that GT3 professionals were most astounded by was how Verstappen was easily able to follow Christopher Haase’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II in the dirty air.
Seasoned Audi ace Christopher Haase already told Motorsport.com how impressed he was by Verstappen’s ability to follow him during high-speed sections. Now, Juncadella is equally stunned after learning exactly how the Formula 1 star pulled it off.
"It was impressive to see how well he understood how to stay that close to Christopher. It was his first time ever having to race like that in a GT3 car on this track", the 34-year old told Motorsport.com Germany.
Last year, on his NLS9 debut, Verstappen simply won by gapping the field in clean air and showing impressive speed. This time, he impressed with his skills in his first-ever dogfight on the Nordschleife.
"He actually did something quite special that we talked about after the race. It’s something I would have never thought of myself—and I’ve been driving GT cars for a long time” Juncadella revealed.
“I’m not going to tell you what it is as I’d rather keep that to myself. It’s a nice trick he found out. Maybe I’ll tell you someday."
Verstappen paired his superior traffic management skills with his impressive speed, setting the six fastest lap times of the #3 Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 during the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis.
What makes his driving style so unique?
"It’s not so much about his driving style; it’s the sheer confidence that he has to jump into a car you barely know, on a track that demands absolute self-confidence. And he was on pace from Friday practice onwards and in the race as well," Juncadella said.
While Verstappen provided the fireworks, the Spaniard had the task of managing the lead during a stint filled with Code 60 zones. While the data shows Juncadella didn't break the eight-minute barrier, the Spaniard isn't worried about the lap times.
"There weren't many fast laps in my stint because of the neutralisations. But the car felt great. We didn't really have to worry about the Audi anymore because Christopher’s team-mate [Nico Hantke] was already in. He’s a bit less experienced and needs some more laps", he said.
By the time Juncadella handed the car over to Jules Gounon, with whom he reunited after several years away from Mercedes, the Winward crew had built a comfortable 20 to 30-second gap.
Gounon then had to deal with the Rowe BMW, but that was down to different strategies as the #99 M4 GT3 Evo had to serve a 40 seconds longer pit stop at the end.
For Juncadella, Verstappen’s seamless transition to the Green Hell is partially credited to his thousands of virtual hours.
"His experience in sim racing gives him an edge. Through all those GT races online, he understands exactly how to race against others and how to read situations before they happen. It just shows how passionate he is about racing," he said.
The #3 Mercedes was stripped of its victory due to a breach of the tyre rules, but left a clear mark for the 24-hour race in June.
Verstappen and his team are set to return for the 24h Qualifiers on April 18 and 19 ahead of the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
