Max Verstappen turned test into a 'madhouse' - Tom Coronel

Max Verstappen sent the world of motorsport into a spin last Friday when he turned up at the Nurburgring, testing a GT3 car under a pseudonym.

Whilst the Dutchman - or his alias Franz Hermann - does not yet have the requisite licence to race at the famed German circuit, his compatriot and fellow racing driver Tom Coronel was competing on that day last week.

Speaking on the Dutch language version of the RacingNews365 podcast, the former Le Mans driver chronicled the experience, explaining how Verstappen's presence caused a stir.

"I participated in the race, but Franz Hermann couldn't participate in the race," Coronel laughed. "He didn't have his licence yet.

"On the Nordschleife you need special permission and you have to do a certain course for that. And that course has not yet been done by our Franz! But the test day, Max did on Friday."

There have been reports of the Red Bull driver breaking unofficial lap records, with a suggested lap time of around 7:56 being speculated.

It is something Coronel, who took his son - a promising young racing driver - to see Verstappen, can believe.

"He has a faster car [than the 992 Cup Porsche Coronel races]," the 53-year-old said. "They are driving in the other class, the GT3. Indeed, they were under eight minutes.

"Of course, I went to see Max for a while and also spoke to the bodyguards. They also took Rocco [his son] inside to Max, because he was obviously very much shielded from photographers and video.

"Once it was known that Max was training on the Nordschleife, it was completely packed with journalists, a complete madhouse!

"I even got emails from people saying that Max could best do the course this way and that. Of course, everyone understands that Max is not going to sit in a classroom and drive in a line around the Nurburgring."

Why go to the effort?

Alex Brundle pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) what Verstappen would need to do to earn further credentials to race at the Nurburgring - or at least the Nordschleife version of the circuit.

"In Germany that's the rule now, so he should do it as well," Coronel said. "It doesn't matter who you are, even if you are the king or queen.

"That does make it a bit odd, that a four-time world champion also has to do it, while actually driving track records.

"That's not quite right, of course. It's rules, German rules that I can't bend. But I understand that there will be a committee for these types of people who want to participate in the long-distance races at the Nurburgring. It costs you a whole day and that obviously doesn't go with Max."

When asked why the Verstappen would go to the effort of obtaining the full-course track licence, Coronel explained.

"The Nordschleife is the dream circuit," he stated. "Up and down, you fly with the car, it's a circuit of between 20 and 24 kilometers, depending on which version you choose.

"180 corners... You really have to get to know those, so they don't want people with a driver's license, an entry-level license, to suddenly join us. That's basically what it is."