The allure of the 24 Hours of Le Mans continues to cast its spell on Max Verstappen, who has revealed that teams in the World Endurance Championship have contacted him, eager to secure his services.
The three-time F1 champion has long been vocal about his ambition to tackle the legendary endurance race, but it’s all a question of opportunity and timing according to the Red Bull charger.
Verstappen has already dipped his toes into the Le Mans world, competing in the virtual version alongside Team Redline.
However, the real deal and a shot at Le Mans glory now seems certain to materialize at some point in the future for the Dutchman.
After all, the three-time F1 world champion thrives on competition and enjoys pushing himself to the limit. The grueling nature of Le Mans, with its unique challenges and team dynamics, would undoubtedly be a thrilling new chapter in his already remarkable career.
"Of course, you get contacted by certain people, but it has to come at the right time and in the right way," he said, quoted by Motorsport.com.
"I don't want to rush into a decision either. With those new cars, I think it will take at least another one or two years before it's all better understood because at the end of the day, it is still a ‘Balance of Performance’ story and that makes it difficult."
Verstappen headlining Le Mans during the F1 season is also a possibility, at least with the proper preparation. This was last achieved by Fernando Alonso in 2018 when the then McLaren driver won the race with Toyota.
"That depends fully on the preparation, whether it can be done in a good way or not,” said Verstappen.
"That's a bit the same as what I usually do on the simulator. I obviously wouldn't have driven that sim race during the Imola weekend if I couldn't prepare properly for it, but this time I could and therefore it was possible.
“Of course, you can't run Le Mans and Formula 1 in one weekend, but if it can be combined in a good way, then I think it can be done during the F1 season."
As he mentioned, Verstappen is no fan of the BoP prescription currently in force in the WEC. He would first like to see the Hypercar rules mature a bit before joining the fray.
t's too early for me to enter because of the new regulations as well, I think they need to sort out the BOP a little bit better between the cars,” he explained.
It's a bit hit-and-miss here and there, I find. Plus, for me, also the driver weight, I feel like there needs to be a limit on that, because I might rock up at 80 kilos with kit, but there is also a driver that can be 55 or 60.
"When you go to Le Mans, you have no chance - that already is a couple of tenths a lap. It's pretty incredible, the difference.
"So they need to sort that out. There needs to be an average or minimum weight that you need to comply to. But for sure in the future, I would like to race. Yeah, it's an incredible event."
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