Official: Max Verstappen to debut the Nürburgring 24h
- Benjamin Crundwell
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
10 months after his secret Nordschleife debut, under the alias Franz Hermann, it's been officially announced that Max Verstappen and Verstappen racing will race at the Nürburgring 24h in May with Winward Racing.
With Verstappen, Winward's No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be driven by three Mercedes factory drivers: Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer. None of the driver's have won the 24 hour race in the past, but each have conducted respectable careers in sports car racing, especially in GT3s.
To prepare for the race in May, Verstappen Racing will compete in NLS 1, NLS 2 and both rounds of the 24h Qualifiers. The dates for these races can be found here. Each round will be a four hour race of the Gesamstrecke (a combination of the GP track and Nordschleife) as part of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS).
Due to his Formula One commitments, Verstappen will only be present at NLS 2, which will be the third round of the NLS he has done, after racing in the seventh and ninth rounds of the NLS last year, the latter of which he won.
Verstappen said: "The Nürburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There’s no other track like it. The 24h Nürburgring is a race that’s been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really thrilled we can make it happen now.
"Last year, I was able to get my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS 9, that we won. That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS 2 and the 24-hour race.
"We’ve got a strong line-up with Dani, Jules and Lucas and great support from Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Now it’s about putting in the right preparations before the events, so we can maximise everything in the races."
You'd be a fool to believe Verstappen is racing for the fun of it. He has organised a seriously strong line-up with three of Mercedes' best factory drivers, as well as the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is a previous winner of the race.
