Max Verstappen hits back at racing driver over 'false' accusation

Max Verstappen has responded to an accusation made by fellow racing driver Maro Engel over his test outing at the Nordschleife. Verstappen made a surprise appearance at the German track last week, where he drove a Ferrari GT3 car under the name 'Franz Hermann' in an attempt to avoid the spotlight. The Dutchman claimed he broke the track record for the class despite having just a handful of laps under his belt around the historic venue. Engel, a veteran of GT racing, took to X on Friday, where he claimed Verstappen was running modified settings to give the car a pace boost. “To the topic of the moment,” Engel wrote on social media.  “[A] few facts to Franz Hermann GT3 Nordschleife Test: [the] car was run in DTM spec BoP (less weight, more power, lower ride height than NLS BoP).  “Laptime: 7:48. Still impressive for a first visit to the green hell. Would be cool to see Franz compete!” However, Verstappen has denied the claims, issuing his response at 12:19 AM in the early hours of Saturday morning from Italy as he prepares for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. “False,” the four-time F1 champion responded. “Don‘t spread things when you don’t know how the car was setup and our engine settings.  “Why would I join a NLS track day with the wrong BOP. Have a good one tomorrow.” Engel then replied to Verstappen: “Seems like paddock chat was incorrect then. Your [sic] clearly in a better position to tell us what you ran. Thnx and same to you.” See the posts from the two drivers below!

https://x.com/Max33Verstappen/status/1923503476413235373

False. Don‘t spread things when you don’t know how the car was setup and our engine settings. Why would I join a NLS track day with the wrong BOP. Have a good one tomorrow 👍 — Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) May 16, 2025