Max Verstappen to compete in 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours
Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen is set to race in the legendary Nurburgring 24-hour endurance event in 2026. The announcement comes after Verstappen gained experience in a series of GT3 races at the Nürburgring last year, preparing for the iconic endurance challenge.
The four-time F1 world champion finished sixth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, kicking off the 2026 Formula 1 season. Just over 24 hours after the F1 curtain-raiser, Verstappen confirmed his participation in the Nurburgring 24 Hours, scheduled for May 14–17. The event will take place between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix.
Verstappen will race a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing squad, sharing driving duties with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella. The car will feature a striking Red Bull-branded livery, merging Verstappen’s F1 identity with his GT3 campaign.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 car Max Verstappen will drive in the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours
Verstappen commented on the challenge ahead:
“The Nurburgring is a special place. There is no other race track like it.”
He will tackle the iconic 24-hour endurance race alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, and Daniel Juncadella, representing Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing in a Red Bull-themed GT3 car.
Max Verstappen set for 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours
Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen will take on the legendary Nurburgring 24-hour race in May 2026, stepping into the iconic endurance challenge in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car.
“The 24h Nurburgring has been on my wish list for a long time, so I’m very excited that we can now make it happen,” Verstappen said.
“Last year, I obtained my DMSB licence for the Nordschleife and was able to participate in NLS9, where we won.
This preparation is very valuable, as we learned a lot that we can incorporate into this year’s programme.
With Dani, Jules and Lucas, we have a strong line-up and are receiving great support from Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.
Now it’s a matter of making the right preparations before the events so that we can get the most out of ourselves in the races.”
Verstappen will share driving duties with Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, with the car featuring a Red Bull-branded livery.
Walter Hornung, race director of the Nurburgring 24 Hours, expressed his excitement:
“We are delighted that Max Verstappen is competing in the 24h Nurburgring.
Like all the other starters across the various vehicle classes, he has fallen under the spell of this special race track.
The fact that he is taking his start seriously and approaching it in an incredibly professional manner is already evident from his intensive preparation.
He went through the normal qualification process without any special treatment, prepared himself with drives on the Nordschleife, completed the mandatory e-learning and familiarised himself intensively with the track with countless SimRacing laps.
As organisers, we are just as excited as countless fans around the globe to see how well he will manage the transition from Formula 1 racing cars to this year’s particularly competitive GT3 class on the world’s toughest race track.
The Nordschleife is the ultimate challenge in motorsport – and Max is taking it on!”
At 28, Verstappen has also been vocal about the new Formula 1 2026 regulations, suggesting last month at the Bahrain pre-season test that he could step away if the cars aren’t fun to drive.
“A winning car, for me, that doesn’t matter.
It needs to be fun to drive as well, I think, at this stage of my career.
I am, of course, also exploring other things outside of Formula 1 to have fun at.
I know that we’re stuck with this regulation for quite a while, so let’s see.”
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