Vermeulen is about to embark on his second season in the DTM with Emil Frey Racing after a rookie campaign in which he finished 16th in the standings with a best finish of fifth at the Sachsenring.
The 21-year-old’s Ferrari 296 GT3 will once again carry the colours of Verstappen.com Racing, a project that was started by the triple F1 champion in 2022.
Having mentored the young Dutchman over the years, Verstappen feels Vermeulen has what it takes to build on his 2023 results and put together a solid show in the DTM this year.
"Hopefully with the experience he has gained so far, it will all come a bit more naturally to him and therefore he can compete at the front a bit more consistently, because the potential is definitely there," the 26-year-old told Autosport's sister site nl.motorsport.com.
“He is very fast. When we test too, every time I drive him, he's within two tenths of me all the time."
Vermeulen, son of Verstappen’s manager Raymond, is relatively new into motor racing, having only started his career in 2020 with GT4 racing.
He combined his DTM programme with a drive in the GT World Challenge Europe series last year, and will remain in the SRO championship again as part of another dual campaign.
Source: Autosport