Max Verstappen arrives at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with great ambitions. But despite his impressive speed on the Nordschleife, the Red Bull driver will have to face several references of the global GT scene to hope to clinch victory.
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Since his debut in GT3 on the Nordschleife, Max Verstappen immediately impressed. The four-time F1 world champion quickly found the pace on one of the most demanding circuits in the world, to the point of dominating some rounds of the NLS championship.
During his first appearance, Verstappen and his teammate Chris Lulham had largely dominated the race before winning. A few weeks later, the Dutchman also crossed the line first in another event, before the team was ultimately disqualified for a tire-related infraction.
Even during the qualifying sessions for the 24 Hours, Verstappen showed he could compete at the front. With Lucas Auer, he led the second race before a technical problem ruined their chances.
But a 24-hour race is unlike any other. Between traffic management, changing weather conditions, mechanical reliability, and strategic errors, pure speed is not always enough to win at the Nürburgring.
And above all, the competition looks fierce in the SP9 category, where more than 40 cars will aim for the overall victory.
Scherer Sport PHX, a well-known opponent
Among the main threats to Verstappen is the #16 crew from Scherer Sport PHX in an Audi: Christopher Haase has already been wheel-to-wheel several times with the Red Bull driver during recent races on the Nordschleife.
The German knows the circuit perfectly and has huge endurance experience. But he will not be the only one posing a threat.
Alexander Sims is one of the references in global GT racing. The Briton won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2020 and also holds several IMSA titles.
Ben Green, younger and less experienced, also boasts a solid record on the German track with several category wins in the NLS and a class victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
ROWE Racing wants to keep its crown
The ROWE Racing team fields official BMW M4 GT3s and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest obstacles on Verstappen’s path. Car #1 arrives as the defending champion after its success last year.
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The crew composed of Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, Jordan Pepper, and Kelvin van der Linde brings together several endurance and GT specialists. Van der Linde already has three wins in this event, while Farfus has immense touring and GT experience.
The second ROWE Racing car, #99, also has serious credentials. Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Dan Harper, and Max Hesse form an extremely fast quartet capable of aiming for pole position as well as victory.
Red Bull Team ABT and Manthey Racing lurking
Two other teams could also complicate Verstappen’s mission: the Audis of Red Bull Team ABT.
Car #84, in particular, had already shown an excellent level during the qualifying sessions with a second place achieved by Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti, and Patric Niederhauser.
#130 also draws attention thanks to the presence of Nicky Catsburg, two-time winner of the event, and Nick Yelloly, recent winner in the LMP2 category at Le Mans.
Finally, Manthey Racing cannot be ruled out. The Porsche #911 remains one of the great historical references at the Nürburgring despite several years without victory.
Kevin Estre, Ayhancan Güven, and Thomas Preining form a particularly dangerous trio. Between a WEC world champion and two DTM champions, experience and speed are well combined to put pressure on Verstappen.
A highly anticipated debut for Verstappen
Even though he is new to the 24-hour format, Verstappen is already one of the natural favorites of the weekend thanks to his top speed and impressive adaptation to the Nordschleife.
But unlike Formula 1, where a few tenths can make the difference, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring mainly reward consistency, reliability, and chaos management.
And facing GT and endurance specialists who have been present for years on this legendary circuit, the Red Bull driver will need a perfect weekend to hope to win on his first participation.
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