Verstappen will make his debut in the prestigious Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend as his burgeoning endurance career steps up a level.<\/p>\n
The four-time F1 world champion will share a Red Bull-branded Mercedes AMG-GT3 car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella at the Nordschleife.<\/p>\n
Verstappen has prepared for his debut by participating in a number of minor races at the Nurburgring over recent months.<\/p>\n
Preview: Max Verstappen takes on Nurburgring 24 Hours<\/p>\n
Nurburgring 24 Hours: Everything you need to know about the world\u2019s most chaotic endurance race<\/a><\/p>\n Nurburgring 24 Hours schedule 2026: Full timetable, qualifying and start time<\/a><\/p>\n Verstappen, Gounon and Juncadella dominated an NLS race in March before being disqualified for a procedural error.<\/p>\n The Red Bull F1 driver was in the hunt for victory with Auer on his most recent visit to the Nurburgring last month before being forced to pit for repairs, eventually coming home in 39th place.<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com<\/a> last week, Winkelhock \u2013 a four-time winner of the Nurburgring 24 Hours \u2013 said it was \u201ccrazy to see the amount of experience\u201d Verstappen already has at the Nurburgring.<\/p>\n The former Spyker F1 driver pointed to Verstappen\u2019s \u201creally awesome\u201d approach to traffic during his most recent trip to the Nordschleife, highlighting a clever technique used by the Dutchman at the Flugplatz corner.<\/p>\n Winkelhock added: \u201cMax understands how to take the flow through the traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n As reported by PlanetF1.com<\/a>, Juncadella has also highlighted Verstappen\u2019s handling of the traffic as a key strength, mysteriously alluding to a \u201cnice trick\u201d the Red Bull F1 driver had employed while following slower cars.<\/p>\n Ahead of his debut in the big race, Verstappen says he is heading to the Nurburgring with the intention of taking victory.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cSuccess is winning. I think that\u2019s very simple. That\u2019s why we\u2019re here.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I know it\u2019s not going to be easy, but that\u2019s the target. That\u2019s target for sure, for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the same time, I\u2019m also just looking forward to the whole experience, sharing the car with my teammates, working throughout that whole weekend, just see what we can do really.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the biggest races in the year is of course the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, so that\u2019s why we are here.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are entering with a Pro lineup and, for myself, the whole lineup is just really, really cool and it\u2019s also something for the future that I really want to do every single year, to field a car or multiple cars.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main objective and goal is, of course, to win races.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what inspired me the most is that it\u2019s one of the best tracks in the world or the craziest track in the world that you can race at.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of these special races that you want to compete in and win.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where it all started for me on the simulator, to learn the track around here.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done thousands of laps, I\u2019ve competed in multiple 24-hour races as well around here in the sim world.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when I went out here for the first time in real life, to know the track and where to go was not the issue anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was all about just understanding the new kerbs or grip levels of new tarmac, because every year new tarmac is laid in certain places.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then, of course, understanding the real car with the G-forces and the compressions and stuff like that, but for sure the sim racing helped a lot to immediately be on pace.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the toughest challenge he will face this weekend, he replied: \u201cIt can be anything really: dealing with traffic, you don\u2019t know what happens with your car or whatever, [weather] conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there rain involved or not? That will make it a lot harder. If it\u2019s fully dry and beautiful, then it\u2019s a bit different.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just trying to go basically as fast as you can without taking too many risks, but we\u2019ll deal with that on the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we were doing the preparation races before the 24.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where you learn the most under pressure, dealing with traffic, flags and pit stops for me, changing the seat and the driver.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, that is always very useful. That\u2019s why I do these shorter races around here.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/max-verstappen-markus-winhelhock-nurburgring-24-hours-2026.jpg\")
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