Maro Engel is full of praise for four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen as the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring approaches.

The Mercedes-AMG factory driver believes the Dutchman has a genuine passion for the Nordschleife and speaking to GPFans, Engel said it’s an honour to be teammates with Verstappen.

Engel, who has plenty of experience on the infamous Eifel track, won the 24h Nurburgring a decade ago. Although he hasn’t claimed another victory since, he’s hopeful this weekend will mark a turnaround as he shares the No. 80 Team Ravenol entry with Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz.

The car, which is run by Winward Racing and the same team managing Verstappen Racing, posted the quickest time in the first qualifying session. Afterwards, Engel revealed that he is thrilled to be part of the same camp as the Red Bull F1 star.

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Verstappen: A regular guy

Engel told GPFans: “First and foremost, it’s fantastic that he’s decided to take part in this event. As many have already noted, his decision really shows what kind of driver he is.

“His attitude fits perfectly with our team, and it’s refreshing to hear his perspective. He instinctively adapts to different situations, which is a huge asset.

“I genuinely consider it an honour to have him on board. He’s integrated flawlessly and is just as much a member of this group as any of us. Perhaps he’s simply blessed with a bit more natural talent.”

“I wouldn’t even compare him directly with other professional drivers. From an outsider’s perspective, he comes across as very relatable to the community of amateur racers – the kind of people who are here purely because they love driving.

“While he brings all the skills and professionalism you’d expect from a pro, his genuine passion for the Nordschleife is what sets him apart. This race is defined by that unique mix of professionals and enthusiasts all coming together for the thrill of the experience.”

Verstappen seems to have found a second home at the Nürburgring, and Engel concluded: “Everyone who’s seen him in the paddock, just like any other driver here, can vouch for his down-to-earth nature. He doesn’t demand special treatment; he simply does what he does best. He’s one of many here who truly enjoy the adventure of racing in this legendary event.”

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Cadillac F1 star Valtteri Bottas has revealed an FBI investigation was launched after his car was stolen during the Miami Grand Prix weekend.

The 36-year-old was staying in an Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale during the race weekend, and on his What’s Next YouTube channel, Bottas revealed the theft in conversation with Paul Ripke.

First, Bottas established that he didn’t stay where the other drivers do when they visit Miami, instead preferring the more relaxed neighbourhood of Fort Lauderdale.

He explained: “So for the Miami Grand Prix, I used to stay in Miami. I’ve stayed in Miami and also South Beach, but Fort Lauderdale is the same or even less of a distance to the track. There’s a bit less traffic.

“That town is a bit more chill than Miami. I feel like it’s a bit more real. That’s why I stay in Fort Lauderdale. I prefer it to Miami. For me, Miami is a bit much.

“I got back Friday as normal. Drove our car to the driveway, had a quick dinner, early to bed. Car keys are inside the house. Car is locked.”

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Bottas had car stolen ahead of Miami Grand Prix

Bottas then revealed that when he woke up on the Saturday of the sprint and qualifying, the car had been stolen with his F1 paddock pass also taken with it.

He continued: “I woke up Saturday morning. I was in the shower about 15 minutes before leaving for the track. And then Paul Harris, who also stayed in the Airbnb, is calling me. And I’m like, ‘Hello? Why are you calling me? I’m like next door.’ He was like, ‘Oh, I was asking where did you go?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’

“‘Well, the car is gone.’ So, I couldn’t believe it. I went outside, opened the door. The Escalade has vanished. Keys are still inside on the table. I can see them like, ‘What? What? How?’ So, our car got stolen from the driveway of our Airbnb.

“Obviously, I was going to be late to the track because we had to find another way of transport. But yeah, luckily they sent another Escalade, it took us to the track, and then I was like, ‘Oh, my paddock pass was in the car.’ I didn’t have a paddock pass. So anyway, I found a solution for that. FBI got involved. Full investigation.”

“He had all the opportunities for that day, get the VIP parking, walk to the paddock, sign in, go to the team. But no, the next day it was found dumped already somewhere in a dodgy area, in a high-crime area.

“So the police and FBI got involved just because of this reason what you mentioned. We had the parking pass, so somebody could have driven the car to the track. They had my pass, but they obviously weren’t interested in the F1 race.

“Apparently, they probably just did a crime with the car and dumped it. So, in my mind, it must have been like a getaway car or something, you know? Like, it’s sad that we lost the car, but it’s pretty cool.”

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A former F1 team principal has shed light on how one immediate decision from legendary racer Niki Lauda indirectly led to his own premature sacking.

During his time in F1, Lauda picked up three drivers’ championships and survived a near-fatal crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix, which took place on the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife.

At the time of his incident, Lauda was the reigning champion, and after suffering life-changing injuries, managed to persevere and claim back another title in 1977 with Ferrari.

The Austrian icon also won the 1984 drivers’ world championship with McLaren, the team he would then choose to retire with the following year.

But even after he stopped racing in F1, Lauda’s famous no-nonsense attitude found a place off the track. In 1993 he took up an advisory role at the Scuderia, and between 2001 and 2002 was the team principal of Jaguar.

And it was the hiring of Lauda for this position that stopped Otmar Szafnauer from ever officially joining the team who would eventually become Red Bull Racing.

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How F1 legend Niki Lauda caused brutal Otmar Szafnauer axe

Szafnauer is no stranger to an F1 sacking. After becoming the team principal of Alpine in 2022, the Romanian-American failed to make it to the end of the 2023 campaign.

After back-to-back DNFs for Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix that year, Szafnauer and his ally and sporting director Alan Permane were both sacked.

Though Bruno Famin took over in the interim, this decision triggered a run of leadership changes, with Oliver Oakes replacing Famin after the 2024 summer break and current leader Flavio Briatore stepping up to take Oakes’ place in May 2025.

On a recent episode of the High Performance Racing Podcast, Szafnauer was asked by host Jake Humphrey whether his Alpine F1 firing was the first time he had ever been sacked.

Szafnauer replied: “No. Second.”

Naturally, this led Humphrey to enquire: “What was the first?”

“That’s a good story,” Szafnauer teased. “So I’m at British American Racing [BAR], youngest operations director in the pit lane. I was early 30s… Ford buys Stewart Grand Prix, remember? And turns it into Jaguar Racing.

“Neil Ressler’s running the programme from Ford and through his relationship in IndyCar with Bobby Rahal… hires Bobby Rahal as team principal and Bobby comes over, but Bobby says, ‘I’ll do it. However, I have an IndyCar team that I need to run as well. So, I can’t compromise that, but I’ll try to do both. And it was difficult because we raced on different sides of the Atlantic. So Bobby was going back and forth, IndyCar racing over there, spending time with his IndyCar team, then back here, racing here, also spending time at the factory.

“And he thought it was a good idea to have somebody permanently in this factory, like his right-hand man that could always stay there, so he asked me through a friend if I wanted to join him as chief operating officer.

“I said, ‘Yeah, why not?’ Operations director at BAR. I’ll move over. Chief operating officer had ‘chief’ in it. Thought that’s a little bit better.”

“I had my gardening leave to see out,” continued Szafnauer, explaining why he couldn’t simply switch teams immediately. But it was the time he was required to take out from the sport that gave Jaguar enough time to hire Lauda as team principal, prompting big changes.

“It was in August on a Friday. Malcolm Oastler’s PA gets married. Linda Fischer. I’m at her wedding Friday afternoon. I get a phone call. Niki Lauda has just fired Bobby Rahal and because you were hired by Bobby, don’t come in on Monday.

“So this was Friday, my last gardening leave day. I was due to start Monday, right? So there’s only Saturday, Sunday. I’m getting ready to go to JAG as chief operating officer. Don’t come in.

The shocking story of how Szafnauer suffered his first brutal F1 sacking before he had even started in the position then prompted Humphrey to simply respond: “And that is why they call Formula 1 the piranha club.”

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