Max Verstappen will take the start of the 2026 24 Hours of Nürburgring
at the wheel of a
Mercedes sporting a
Red Bull livery.
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The four-time Formula 1 world champion
confirmed this project the day after the opening of the
2026 season in Melbourne, where he climbed from 20th to
sixth place in the race.
The participation of the
Dutchman in the German event is part of the
activities of his Verstappen Racing team, which is already involved in
competitions held on the Nordschleife.
To be able to take the start
of the endurance classic, Verstappen will first participate in
a round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, NLS2,
scheduled for March 21. The 24 Hours of Nürburgring race
will take place on May 16 and 17.
A solid crew around the
world champion
The car entered by
Verstappen Racing will be driven by Max Verstappen himself, alongside
Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer.
The project is being carried out in
partnership with Mercedes-AMG and Red Bull, whose colors will be
present on the car.
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“The Nürburgring is a
special place,” says Verstappen. “There is no other
circuit like it. The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is a
race that has been on my list for a long time, so I am
really delighted that we can finally make this
project a reality.”
The Red Bull driver had already
begun preparing for this program in 2025, obtaining his
specific permit for the Nordschleife and competing in a race
of the NLS series.
“Last year, I was able to
obtain my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS9, which
we won. This preparation is very
valuable because we learned a lot and we can use
this experience for our program this year with NLS2
and the 24-hour race.”
Verstappen also highlights
the strength of the crew assembled for this project: “We have a
solid crew with Dani, Jules and Lucas, and excellent support
from Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Now,
the goal is to put in place the necessary preparation before
these events in order to maximize our full potential during the
races.”
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