Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen will race the famous Nürburgring 24-Hours for the first time this year. The Dutch driver will compete in the endurance event from May 14-17 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.
Mercedes confirmed that Verstappen will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with the factory-supported Team Winward Racing. The entry will run under the name Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and carry a bold Red Bull-backed livery.
Red Bull revealed the car in dramatic style. BASE jumper Max Manow leapt 131 meters into a cooling tower before the new design appeared. The reveal video was later posted on the official Red Bull Germany Instagram page.
The race weekend gives Verstappen a rare chance to try the event. The 2026 race does not clash with any Formula 1 round. It sits two weeks after the Miami Grand Prix and one week before the Canadian Grand Prix.
The car and driver line-up
Max Verstappen will share the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The car number matches the No. 3 he is using in Formula 1 this year.
Auer, Gounon and Juncadella bring deep experience at the Nordschleife. Gounon and Juncadella also race together for Winward in the GT World Challenge Europe.
The team will prepare through several Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie races. They will enter NLS1 on March 14 and NLS2 on March 21, along with the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on April 18-19.
Race organisers moved the NLS2 event forward by a week so Verstappen could take part. The race had been planned for March 28 but would have clashed with the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Reports say Mercedes-Benz Chairman Ola Källenius and team boss Toto Wolff pushed for the schedule change. The VLN organiser later called the move a “strategic calendar adjustment.”
What Max Verstappen said about the rare opportunity
Verstappen said the race has long been a goal.
“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…” the Dutchman said via Verstappen.com.
“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,” he added.
He had also stressed the need for preparation before the 24-hour race.
“If I do it, I need one race in preparation compared to guys that have been doing it for a while and have a bit more experience,” Verstappen said during Formula 1 testing in Bahrain.
The NLS2 event will mark Verstappen’s third Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie start. Last year, he raced in NLS7 and NLS9 and won the latter with Chris Lulham in a Ferrari 296 GT3 run by Emil Frey Racing.
The switch to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 brings a new challenge. Verstappen has already tested the car several times, including two test days at Estoril with teammate Jules Gounon.
The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours begins at 15:00 CET on Saturday, May 16. Fans can watch the race live on Viaplay, Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.
