Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has labelled Max Verstappen's surprise Nordschleife outing as “insane” after seeing onboard footage.
Verstappen made a surprise appearance at the famous track last weekend, where he drove a Ferrari GT3 car.
Although no official times from the run have been released, Verstappen stated he broke the track record in that class despite having just a handful of laps under his belt.
Horner stated Red Bull is keen to accommodate Verstappen's interests away from F1 as he revealed the team has long been wary of the Dutchman's plan to drive at the famous track.
“He’s so passionate about all forms of racing, sim racing, GT racing, he has own GT team effectively,” Horner told Sky F1.
“He was very keen to run at the Nurburgring, it’s something we've known about for quite some time.
“He went there and did an incredible job and really enjoyed himself.
“It’s what he does, it’s what he loves doing. It would be very hard to take that away from him.”
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Horner stated Verstappen is seeking to strike a balance between his F1 commitments and personal pleasures away from his main role
“The focus has to be here and on the day job, but I think it's great that he's so versatile,” Horner added.
“We’ve always been slightly more relaxed than perhaps other teams in terms of the freedom that we've given our drivers.
“He’s finding that that compromise, finding that balance.
“The priority is here [in F1] but it's great that he's embracing all forms of motorsport.
“He’s not going to miss a race, that's for sure,” Horner added, referencing Fernando Alonso's absence from the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix as he took part in the Indianapolis 500.
Horner revealed Red Bull got hold of Verstappen's onboard footage of his Nordschleife laps, leaving the team in awe.
”He really enjoys the GT stuff and his ability to jump in and just deliver…
“He sent us a copy of the onboard in the Nurburgring, and it was insane. You can see why he enjoys it so much.”
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