Max Verstappen 'huge impact' hailed as Mercedes challenge beckons

From May 14 to 17, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring will be held, with Max Verstappen making his debut in the iconic race, sharing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer.

Auer joined Verstappen in action during the qualifiers, where a broken splitter stood in the way of a win. Nevertheless, the speed was there. After the repairs, Auer still racked up the laps, considerably helping Team Verstappen's preparations.

Speaking exclusively to RacingNews365, Auer is now particularly looking forward to the 24 Hours.

"It was a very productive weekend," said Auer, of the qualifiers. "We were able to do a lot of laps. That was also important for me because NLS1 was cancelled due to weather conditions. It was essential to drive some race laps.

"That was very instructive, and I feel that we are well prepared. I am now greatly looking forward to the big one!"

Highlighting the challenges of the circuit, Auer said: "On the Nordschleife, it's one thing to be fast, but it's another thing entirely to be fast with traffic.

"Effectively dealing with that traffic, you only really learn during a race. So it was crucial and important for me, but also for the team and for all of us, to experience the balance and practice overtaking slower traffic. That was perfect.

"It's also unique because on the Nordschleife, you have to deal with different categories. With a GT3, you arrive at such a tremendous speed, so it's mostly about how you manage traffic: when do you see a car, when do you let off the gas for a moment, where do you overtake and where exactly do you not?

"The best thing is to just race with them and really feel it and see it."

Mercedes providing 'all-rounder'

For the quartet of drivers, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is what Auer describes as a "really great" car, providing "a very stable platform that gives the driver a lot of confidence".

He added: "The strength of our Mercedes-AMG GT3 is that it's a fantastic all-rounder.

"Whether it's dry, changeable or wet, you always have a car with which you can fight for the top five. And that's also what makes it so incredibly good; it's simply a strong all-rounder, and that's exactly what you need for a championship or for a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring."

Verstappen and his team-mates represent a formidable line-up, but even then, during a race, Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Auer concedes they are constantly learning from one another.

"In endurance, communication, also between the drivers themselves, is essential," he said. "It's quite interesting, because in a sprint championship like the DTM, you're naturally on your own and it's full-on competition.

"But in endurance, it works differently. You really have to communicate well, because each driver has their own specific points that he is very good at.

"Maybe someone discovered something or tried a different line, so you're constantly learning from everyone.

"You also have to keep talking to each other during the race, because even if it stays dry, the track changes, and then you have to adjust your lines at some point. So you are constantly learning an awful lot from your team-mates."

The Verstappen effect

The 31-year-old Auer is also thoroughly enjoying working with Verstappen, and for many different, and perhaps obvious reasons.

"I have to say it's special and great to work with Max," said Auer. "He is an incredibly cool guy and very easy to work with. Very productive, very professional, but at the same time, we have a lot of fun. I think that's a very good combination.

"The same goes for them [Gounon and Juncadella], by the way. We all have a similar philosophy: we want to have fun, but at the same time, we want to go all in and learn. Therefore, I think the four of us as drivers fit together very well."

Since Verstappen first arrived on the scene, securing his licence last year, which has allowed him to realise an ambition by taking part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Auer has noticed the effect of the four-time F1 champion's participation.

"For GT3, this really is a golden era," said Auer. "We see that not only on the Nordschleife, but also in the GT World Challenge and the DTM. It really has a huge impact. It's great.

"Of course, Max plays a big role, because there is so much attention on him. The fact that he competes in a GT3 program on the Nordschleife in the middle of an F1 season - and, by the way, with his own team in the GT World Challenge - has a huge impact."

So does Auer see the effect in the DTM as well, for example, in Austria recently? "We had a great crowd at the Red Bull Ring. The GT3 class as a whole has entered a real golden era.

"You could see it in the crowd - 51,000 spectators - at the Red Bull Ring. Several factors come into play, of course, but Max is definitely one of them.

"Besides, these cars are just fantastic to watch race. The races are fun, and it really is pure racing, as far as I'm concerned."