(Motorsport-Total.com) – Dani Juncadella, a GT driver and teammate of Max Verstappen at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, can quite understand his teammate’s frustration around the new Formula 1.
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“I can understand him,” said the 35-year-old. “He likes to control things, that’s part of his personality. He wants to understand why things happen and how he can influence them.”
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Furthermore, Juncadella emphasizes: “It feels like he doesn’t have the tools to influence his performance. And I think that’s exactly what frustrates him. But this also applies to the other drivers. More and more of them are coming to the same conclusion and are not enjoying the current rules.”
Nevertheless, the former DTM driver admits: “Miami was a fun race. I’m also not a fan of the new rules, but … I enjoyed the race.”
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“Some things are really confusing. There was this scene when Charles Leclerc almost caused an accident. Gasly overtook him, then Charles overtook him back because [Gasly] had gone off the ideal line and didn’t use his energy.”
Still, Juncadella stresses: “I’m sure they will find a way.”
Pure Racing in GT3
“I think that’s why [Verstappen] enjoys GT3 racing so much, because it’s pure. I don’t want to say that Formula 1 isn’t, but here you press the gas pedal and the car shoots off. No unpleasant surprises. You accelerate the car. It’s like karting again, like in the old days. Just pure racing, wheel to wheel, a bit of contact here and there. He loves it.”
At the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Juncadella, Verstappen, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer will start in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. With the participation of the four-time world champion, there is special interest in this year’s edition of the endurance classic. The race start is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m.