For someone at the centre of the Formula 1 world, Max Verstappen has made a habit of keeping fans and the media guessing about his next move.
But few could have predicted the clever twist he pulled off during a recent GT3 test at the Nurburgring, where he entered under the name “Franz Hermann.” The move quickly set motorsport forums ablaze—who was this mysterious driver topping the timesheets, and what was Verstappen really up to in Germany?
What unfolded at the legendary Nordschleife was a blend of classic Verstappen mischief and genuine racing craft. Far from a publicity stunt, the alias was a practical solution, one designed to let the four-time world champion enjoy a rare, pressure-free day at the circuit.
“The team, Emil Frey, that we have the GT3 car with, they were like, ‘Well Max, you can drive under a fake name, do you have any recommendations?’ So I was like, ‘You know what, let’s make it really German. Franz Hermann. That sounds good,’” Verstappen recalled on the Ford Performance YouTube channel.
Verstappen’s low-key Nordschleife attack
Hiding behind the Franz Hermann pseudonym meant Verstappen could focus purely on the driving. For once, there were no crowds waiting with cameras, no social media frenzy tracking his every move.
“Because then you’re not on the entry list. Otherwise people woke up at 8am knowing that my name is on it,” Verstappen explained to reporters before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
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But the secrecy only lasted so long. Word spread fast after his runs, and so did the lap times. “So first lap out was a 7m56s on the VLN layout,” Verstappen said. “I think a few weeks before that, the pole was a 7m51s. And of course, we just run it with a full tank, right, because I wanted to do more laps in a row.”
He wasn’t done there. After a quick break to let his sim driver take a turn, Verstappen bolted on fresh tyres and delivered a blistering 7m48s, a time that would have put him firmly in the mix during real competition.
“The car was also really nice to drive, but I felt comfortable just because I did already like thousands of laps on the simulator,” Verstappen explained.
What the Franz Hermann story says about Verstappen’s approach
For Verstappen, the day was not about chasing headlines or breaking lap records, even if reports later confirmed he’d beaten the existing GT3 best set by Christian Krognes.
“I was [faster],” Verstappen admitted, “But I’m not there to show that I can break a lap record or whatever record. I was just having fun and learning the track together with the team.”
This lighthearted approach is classic Verstappen, but it also reveals something deeper about his mentality. In an era where every moment is filmed and shared, the Dutch star is still finding ways to reconnect with the pure essence of racing.
Even the choice of alias, intentionally “really German”, shows he’s not above having a little fun with the establishment.
The viral story of Franz Hermann didn’t just entertain fans, it highlighted Verstappen’s grounded side and his relentless desire to push the limit, whether in a Grand Prix or a private test.
