“We spent a large part of the camp working on mental training. The fundamental goal was for the Juniors to deliver top performances on the racetrack while using as little mental energy as possible. So the primary focus of all our exercises was on improving mental efficiency,” explains Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli, founder of Formula Medicine. “I am very pleased with the progress made by all three Juniors. I think it’s fair to say that now they are all able to make much better assessments of themselves than at the start of the training.” And Ceccarelli also testifies to the three Juniors significantly improving their performance when it comes to fitness, heaping praise on them: “I’m particularly pleased that all three drivers completed the camp with a great deal of enthusiasm and also grew together as a real BMW Junior Team on a personal level.”

Verhagen says: “The two months in Viareggio were incredible. I was really surprised how much I improved through the mental and fitness training. It is impressive what the Formula Medicine trainers achieve. I’d like to thank them all for their fantastic support. Living with Dan and Max was also great. Now I’m at home in the USA and am aware of how the current crisis is evolving here. It makes you incredibly conscious of just how important health is and that it is the top priority at the moment. We all have to persevere in this exceptional situation. The thought of racing on the Nordschleife in a real racing car with the BMW Junior Team at some point is what is keeping me going. I’m really looking forward to it.”

As a new Official Partner of BMW Motorsport, soft trim is supplying the Juniors with racing seats. As a development service provider, soft trim is an important partner for the automotive industry. The company founded in 2001 focuses on the area of seating technology. At the site in Dresden more than 60 employees work on developing seating concepts and in doing so establishing the basis for series production. The expertise built up in the industry is also well received in motorsport. Since 2019, soft trim has been supporting racing teams in designing customised seat pans for their drivers. The foundation is a measuring procedure that determines the optimum seating position in the car.

Kai Rudolph, General Manager of soft trim, says: “The partnership is a logical step for soft trim, to make even better use of existing synergies. The BMW brand has played an important role for us as a seat developer for many years now. There is also the steadily growing importance of motorsport, where we supply teams and drivers with customised seat pans.” Hesse has already worked with soft trim and says: “I know the employees and the product really well, soft trim can do things with a seat pan that other companies can’t. They use a 3D scanning procedure that finds the perfect fit for your seat, which is hugely important for endurance races. On top of that, their method is really fast.” Regarding the current situation, Hesse says: “We’re trying to make the best of the current difficult situation by training as intensely as possible so that when everything has been weathered and we’re allowed back on the racetrack we will be even better prepared.”

It is impossible to say when the BMW Junior Team will be able to continue their originally scheduled training programme at the moment. But when that time comes, everything is ready and waiting for the trio at the Nürburgring: The house and an area of the BMW M test centre in Nürburg converted specially for the mental and simulator training, which will provide the Juniors with the optimum conditions. As soon as they are allowed back on the racetrack, according to current planning, they will first get their permit for the Nordschleife in the BMW M240i Racing, before switching to the BMW M4 GT4 and later to the BMW M6 GT3.