Motorsport legend urges Max Verstappen 'embrace' over GT adventures

Motorsport legend Tom Kristensen has urged the motorsport community to "embrace" what Max Verstappen is doing for GT racing alongside Formula 1.

Verstappen has brought significant viewership to GT racing, particularly at the Nordschleife, over the last 18 months, having entered several GT3 races.

It was all in preparation for last month's Nürburgring 24 Hours, in which the four-time world champion was on course for a maiden victory until a late mechanical issue.

The bulk of the final three hours was spent in the garage for repairs, dropping Verstappen and his team-mates to 37th by the end of the race.

Nevertheless, the event sold out and attracted record viewing figures, with Verstappen bringing an entirely new audience to GT racing.

Kristensen, a nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, is a huge fan of seeing current F1 drivers compete in endurance racing, with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hülkenberg both having raced at Le Mans within the last decade.

Discussing Verstappen's GT racing alongside F1, Kristensen said on F1's Beyond The Grid podcast: "I love what he's doing. I love that. 

"I think we really have to, let's say, embrace it. It's just nice to see, and I think it benefits the whole ecosystem.

"I mean, okay, if you like the forest at the Nürburgring, it's probably changed a little now. It was seen by more people than ever during the Nürburgring 24 Hours, but I like that.

"I liked Alonso when he came to Le Mans, and when he won at Le Mans, so big respect for that. And it's the same with Hülkenberg and Porsche."