How Ex-F1 Drivers Are Living Their Fast Lane Dreams at 24H of Le Mans? Can It Make Max Verstappen Quit F1?

“If you’re going to push a piece of machinery to the limit and expect to hold it together, you have to have some sense of where that limit is. Look out there. Out there is the perfect lap. No mistakes, every gear change, every corner. Perfect. You see it?” Ken Miles’ character said to his son in the movie Ford vs Ferrari. And while the son had to imagine it, you might get to witness one as THE RACE is underway. It is the 92nd running of the most historic races of all, i.e. The Le Mans 24h. Who thought what started a hundred-and-one years ago in 1923 would become more and more relevant every year and last for more than a century? Many F1 fans watch the festive race in a sleepy corner of north-west France. However, an interesting bit is that a good deal of ex-F1 drivers live their fast lane dreams in this discipline of speed show. The most interesting question is, can a reigning world champion like Max Verstappen be lured by the charms of the French wonder race?

Why is 24 Hours of Le Mans a special way of living racing dreams?

Considered the world’s most prestigious race, the 24h of Le Mans is one of the jewels in the triple crown. A win in this format is considered more precious than half a dozen F1 races. The 13.6 km long circuit allows many to realize their incomplete or distant F1 racing dreams. No wonder Fernando Alonso bid goodbye to the sluggish McLaren-Honda to compete in the endurance championship. And, he won it TWICE!! To add to that, he also won the World Endurance Championship of 2018-19. He finally won a world championship that he had been chasing for more than a decade, though in a different format. Following his footsteps, various others have also jumped ships to compete in the most difficult of races.

This year, 18 Ex-F1 drivers are competing at Le Mans. Some of the familiar F1 names who are competing are Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean, Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi, Antonio Giovinazzi, Paul di Resta, Daniil Kvyat, Nyck de Vries, Jean-Éric Vergne, and Mick Schumacher. Do these names ring a bell? I am sure they do. While drivers like Button and Alonso have already won F1 world championships, drivers like Mick Schumacher, and Nyck de Vries are giving their best audition for a second chance in F1. Interestingly, F1’s reserve drivers like Robert Schwartzman might be hoping for his first. Can this fun and cut-throat racing attract someone like Max Verstappen?

Can the glory of Le Mans make Max Verstappen quit F1?

Max Verstappen, who has on various occasions voiced interest in retirement from F1 due to the lack of challenges and over-exertion of the drivers has also stated he wants to compete in the endurance race at some stage in his career, having even discussed the possibility of teaming up with Alonso for the feat. Why do we think that this race fascinates Verstappen? Because he said, “I remember when I was like 11, 12 years old, my dad was racing at Le Mans in LMP2 and then LMP1 the year after. It is something pretty incredible. Even at the time, you’re a young kid, but just the whole atmosphere is fantastic.” This isn’t all that he has said.

Talking about the magical possibility, he had also said, “Le Mans I definitely would like to do,” he made clear. “I’ve been there already when my dad used to race and the atmosphere is amazing. It’s endurance, so many people, driving through the night, sunrise–I think it’s really cool.” Asked what his dream team would be for the event, Verstappen named his idol Alonso, who has also won Le Mans with Toyota in 2018 and 2019, saying, “I’ve been speaking to Fernando about it. He said he would only want to do it with me again. That would be really cool. The only thing is that for Le Mans, there is not really a minimum weight for the driver. I’m quite a heavy driver, so I need to find light teammates to compensate. Fernando is quite light, so it would be quite good, but then we need to find another one–I need to have a look!”

If this were to happen, it would be an unparalleled event coming close, probably to Nico Rosberg retiring after his championship win. However, coming from a racing background and always being up for a challenge, we might see racing from Verstappen in North West France sometime soon. Are you watching the 24-hour-long race at Le Mans? Who are you rooting for?