Max Verstappen is the current F1 world champion and has won the most races this season for Red Bull. The Dutchman defeated the seven-time world champ Lewis Hamilton to win his maiden world championship during the final race in Abu Dhabi. The 24-year-old is leading the drivers’ championship with six wins out of nine races in 2022. However, despite being one of the best racing drivers in the world currently, Verstappen feels that he would struggle in NASCAR racing as it is a totally different ball game.
In a recent interview at Pardon My Take, Max disclosed that he enjoys racing stock cars n his simulator. But the Dutchman admitted that it would take him quite some time to get competitive with a stock car in reality.
Talking to Dan Katz, Max Verstappen stated that NASCAR is a completely different discipline. He stated that it would also take quite a bit of time for Formula one drivers to get good at it. Moreover, Max shared that racing a stock car is not easy. He was sure that NASCAR racers would feel the same way about F1 and would need some time to get the hang of an F1 car.
The reigning F1 champ also pointed out that the only way to excel in any racing discipline is to grow up with it. However, Verstappen is not the only driver who feels this way about NASCAR. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo also shared earlier this season that he grew up as a NASCAR fan and would have to work really hard if he ever considered stock racing.
Is Ricciardo Headed To NASCAR After F1?
Talking about his love for NASCAR, Daniel Ricciardo revealed that he grew up as a fan in Australia. The 32-year-old shared that he would like to drive an oval to find out what it feels like. However, Daniel reckoned that he would not compete right away. Ricciardo did not think he would be competitive and do justice to the discipline.
Moreover, the Australian driver said that a race course would be fun, but he prefers walking before running. Ricciardo mentioned that he would like to find out where he stands through testing before competing in a different discipline. Thus, if everything went well and Daniel had confidence in the car, then he would probably consider competing.
Further, Daniel shared that he would not rule out NASCAR participation as he is definitely a fan. When Ricciardo got in F1, he raced with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, the guys he grew up watching. The Australian added, “It was quite surreal for me. So I think to go into NASCAR, even if it was just a one-off race and rub shoulders with so many guys I watched since I was a kid, would also be a similar feeling.”