Max Verstappen has taken to social media after making his debut at the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife.
After winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza last weekend, Verstappen is already back in action.
On Saturday, the four-time Formula 1 world champion went behind the wheel of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 for a round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS).
The objective of Verstappen heading to the famous track in Germany this weekend was to give himself a shot at obtaining the special Nordschleife racing licence, called a DMSB (Deutcher Motor Sport Bund).
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With the DMSB, Verstappen would then be able to partake in races such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
In order to get the DMSB, drivers must first obtain a Permit 'A', which can be done by taking part in smaller races like the NLS7 Verstappen took part in on Saturday afternoon.
Due to him being a novice in the event, Verstappen took part in a detuned car, which was restricted to 300bhp.
Alongside teammate Chris Lulham, the pair managed to finish first in their class and seventh amongst all the CUP3 entrants (27th overall). Verstappen also completed the required amount of laps to obtain the DMSB.
However, the whole situation has been branded 'embarrassing' by ex-F1 star Ralf Schumacher.
Schumacher believes Verstappen should've already been granted the necessary licenses without going through the same process as an amateur.
As reported by Planet F1, the German told Motorsport-Total: "Well, I would have given it to him straight away, of course. That would have been the end of it. The best driver in the world will manage it if the others can do it, I’m pretty sure of that.
"Instead of many people being happy that Max is bringing this attention back to the Nordschleife and to what all the drivers achieve there, people are arguing about him getting his permit before he even drives. That’s embarrassing."
Max Verstappen breaks silence after Nurburgring debut
Despite Schumacher's comments, Verstappen appeared to enjoy himself at the Nurburgring.
Taking to social media after the event, the 27-year-old posted a series of pictures with a caption that read: "Danke Nordschleife!"
Speaking to his own website, Verstappen added: "I’m happy it all went smooth, and I got my DMSB Permit Nordschleife.
"I really enjoyed myself, but that’s always the case around here. It was good to drive stints in the race with traffic, both with faster and slower cars. I’ve gained experience in where the grip is and isn’t, and completed a start procedure. It was really good to gain more experience on this circuit."
Topics: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Formula 1
Marcus Chan