Naomi Schiff reveals how GT drivers felt about Max Verstappen's Nurburgring debut

Former W Series driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Naomi Schiff has claimed that the GT racing community was overwhelmingly positive about Max Verstappen's participation in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, despite logistical concerns.

The fan-favourite endurance race was sold out for the first time in its history. The surge in ticket sales was widely attributed to the four-time Formula 1 champion's entry.

While speaking on the Up To Speed podcast ahead of the race weekend, Schiff explained: "Max Verstappen is participating in the race and it is sold out for the first time in its history, which I find hard to believe because I'll tell you what, I raced the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2018 and I had been around it before that as well and just the fandom around the 24 Hours of Nurburgring is really unmatched.

"People camp over a week before the event to make sure they have the best spots around the circuit. And whenever you're driving, it's such a sensory overload experience when you're driving around the Nurburgring because there are fans everywhere barbecuing. You can literally smell things on the grill in the rain. They're just having fun."

#3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Schiff added that the general feeling about Verstappen's entry among the GT drivers was positive.

"I've chatted to a few of my friends who are actually also racing, and the general sentiment is that they're all very happy that Max is there and that he's bringing more attention to GT racing," she said. 

"I think there are a few concerns with regard to how many people are going to be attending, what that means for the facilities, can they handle that many people? And on top of that, there's more cars on track this year and the weather is set to be very challenging. So they're worried about plenty shunting really."