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.”