Max Verstappen GT rival mocks F1 in hilarious joke: 'Those electric things!'

Aston Martin driver Nicki Thiim has reacted with a joke to Max Verstappen's appearance in the GT World Challenge finale at Portimão, taking a dig at the current crop of Formula 1 power units.

Verstappen's participation in the last round of the GT World Challenge in Portimão has drawn plenty of attention. 

The four-time world champion is back in the Mercedes GT3 for the first time since the Nürburgring 24 Hours, sharing the car with Ben Barnicoat and Chris Lulham. Unfortunately, problems with the car during qualifying has resulted in 15th on the grid.

The rival camp has also been full of praise for the Dutchman's appearance, with Thiim grinning from ear to ear when discussing it. 

Asked whether his approach to the weekend changes with Verstappen on the grid, the Dane was unequivocal.

"No, not really," Thiim laughed, speaking to GTWorld.

"Of course, it's great fun that he's here. I really love his racing heart, the fact that he just wants to race, no matter what it costs and no matter what car he can get into."

Max Verstappen 'driving a real racing car' jokes Nicki Thiim

Thiim then had some fun at the expense of F1's current engine regulations, which feature a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion. Verstappen has been one of its biggest and most public critics.

"He probably wants to drive a real racing car for once, instead of those electric things he's been driving around in lately," Thiim joked.

"It's fantastic to have him here for this finale. That's obviously great for all of us. I expect a lot of you will be watching with huge interest."

With Portimão being the GTWCE finale, featuring 61 cars, chaos is expected, something Thiim is excited about.

"What a great circuit to end the season with, and of course we're still fighting for P2 in the championship. This circuit is really insanely good. It's absolutely one of the best circuits on the calendar."

"I promise you, it's going to be complete chaos too. It's a very short circuit with a huge number of cars, so I expect a lot of action over those three hours. All the elevation changes make it incredibly cool, even with these cars. It's really, really fun to drive here."