Photo: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is adding one of motorsport’s most punishing endurance races to his schedule, confirming he’ll drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the factory-supported Winward Racing team at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Ending Months Of Speculation
The race runs May 14-17 on Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife, and Verstappen will compete under his own Verstappen Racing banner in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, sharing the car with factory drivers Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, plus Daniel Juncadella, who recently signed on to Genesis’ upcoming Hypercar program. Gounon and Juncadella already race together in GT World Challenge Europe with 2Seas Motorsport, giving the lineup some built-in chemistry heading into a full day of racing.
The confirmation puts an end to months of speculation about whether the Red Bull F1 star would add the Nürburgring 24 Hours to his calendar. It’s a legitimate crossover moment: Verstappen is stepping away from Formula 1’s tightly controlled environment into a race that combines a full 24 hours of wheel-to-wheel GT3 competition with one of the most demanding circuits anywhere in racing.
Why The Nordschleife Punishes Even F1 Champions
The Nordschleife stretches more than 12 miles through Germany’s Eifel mountains, packed with hundreds of corners, dramatic elevation changes, and narrow sections that punish the smallest mistake instantly. Weather can shift across different parts of the circuit in the same lap, adding another variable that even a four-time world champion has to learn to manage.
Verstappen isn’t walking in cold. He got his first real taste of the Nordschleife during the penultimate Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie round last November, driving an Emil Frey Ferrari 296 GT3 rather than the Mercedes he’ll race this season. That outing let him secure the required DMSB Permit Nordschleife, the special license drivers must earn before racing on the circuit in major events, and he came away from it with a win in the NLS9 race — a promising data point heading into a much bigger commitment.
A Race Rescheduled To Fit His Calendar
Before the 24-hour race in May, Verstappen and his co-drivers will run a preparation event as part of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, known as NLS2. That race was originally scheduled for March 28, which would have directly conflicted with the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. At Mercedes’ request, organizers moved it up to March 21 specifically so Verstappen could take part without missing his Formula 1 commitments — a small scheduling shift, but a clear signal of how much value Mercedes places on getting him extra seat time before the main event.
Mercedes Is Fielding Two Serious Contenders
Verstappen’s entry isn’t Mercedes-AMG’s only shot at the overall win. The manufacturer is running two “Performance Teams” in this year’s race, both operated by Winward Racing. Alongside the Verstappen Racing car, Mercedes will also field the No. 80 GT3 under the Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL banner, with Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz sharing driving duties. Engel carries serious pedigree into the weekend: he was part of the driver lineup that delivered Mercedes’ most recent overall Nürburgring 24 Hours win back in 2016, alongside Adam Christodoulou, Manuel Metzger, and Bernd Schneider.
What’s Next
The Nürburgring 24 Hours remains one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world, drawing factory teams and a massive entry list of GT3 machinery from nearly every major manufacturer. For Verstappen, taking it on is another example of a career that, despite dominating much of the modern F1 era, has repeatedly shown interest in competing outside single-seaters.
The countdown now shifts to the March NLS2 race, which will give the first real look at how Verstappen adapts to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in competitive conditions on the Nordschleife. If everything goes to plan, he’ll line up for the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May as part of one of Mercedes-AMG’s most high-profile entries — his first attempt at conquering one of motorsport’s most unforgiving stages.
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