While his Red Bull stablemates tested in the wet at Suzuka, Max Verstappen also had an eye on getting in some wet-weather running.<\/p>\n
But not in a Red Bull racer, in his Mercedes AMG GT3 in preparation for the 24 Hours of N\u00fcrburgring.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen N\u00fcrburgring GT3 run boosts morale<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/a> raised eyebrows in the Formula 1 paddock at the Suzuka circuit when he gave his clearest indication yet that he could be done with Formula 1 and its new set of battery-dependent regulations.<\/p>\n Speaking after qualifying in Japan, where he was P11, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t get upset about it. I don\u2019t get disappointed or frustrated by it anymore with what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know how I think about stuff, I don\u2019t need to mention it again. So yeah, a lot of stuff obviously for me, personally, to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed on what he needs to think about, Verstappen simply replied: \u201cLife here.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen\u2019s F1 future<\/p>\n Max Verstappen\u2019s inspired solution to force F1 2026 rule changes<\/a><\/p>\n Max Verstappen F1 future in doubt as Jos fears loss of motivation<\/a><\/p>\n A day later, he doubled down on that, \u201cYou just think about, is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family, seeing my friends more when you\u2019re not enjoying your sport?\u201d<\/p>\n But while he\u2019s not enjoying Formula 1\u2019s \u201cMario Kart\u201d racing with its \u201canti-racing\u201d regulations, one subject that gets a smile from the 28-year-old is his GT3 racing at the N\u00fcrburgring.<\/p>\n Having won an NLS race last season, before being disqualified from this year\u2019s second NLS event for a tyre infringement, Verstappen has confirmed he will contest the legendary 24-hour event at the Green Hell in May.<\/p>\n He was all smiles as he spoke about those preparations after Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of work to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m constantly in discussions. I still have a lot of ideas when I want to try.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, because it\u2019s all about making sure that all drivers have good experience and good experience in the car, and make sure that it runs well, that it\u2019s reliable and that we are well prepared for that.<\/p>\n \u201cI still need to try maybe a little bit in the wet, hopefully in the dark as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I hope to get those things in before the 24th.\u201d<\/p>\n 24 hours later, he was doing what he loves doing, running at the N\u00fcrburgring.<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s outing at the N\u00fcrburgring came as Red Bull and Racing Bulls conducted a tyre test with Pirelli at a wet Suzuka.<\/p>\n While Red Bull did not provide any details, Racing Bulls confirmed Liam Lawson spent most of Monday\u2019s running on the extreme tyres before handing the car over to Arvid Lindblad.<\/p>\n He felt short of his teammate\u2019s mile after crashing into the barriers due to aquaplaning on standing water. He was, however, able to continue and finished with 299km to Lawson\u2019s 378km.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n