Next weekend, a long-cherished wish of Max Verstappen will come true: he will finally participate in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. After several training sessions and NLS races, the Dutchman will make his 24-hour debut on the notorious German circuit on May 16 and 17. During this endurance classic, things are very different from a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Time for an overview: read everything here about the 24 Hours of Nürburgring!
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First of all: what does Team Verstappen look like again? The four-time F1 champion has been racing this year with his own Verstappen Racing in a Mercedes-AMG, after having already tasted the NLS in 2025 with a Ferrari 296. According to experts, the German car is considered one of the most all-round GT3 cars for participation in the 24-hour race. With the Mercedes-AMG, Verstappen competes in the SP9 class, the highest division. He shares the car with three teammates and GT3 veterans: the Frenchman Jules Gounon, the Spaniard Daniel Juncadella, and the Austrian Lucas Auer.
Gounon is a factory driver for Alpine in the WEC and has a lot of experience in endurance racing. In 2017 and 2022, he won the 24 Hours of Spa, and in 2022 and 2023, he also claimed the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. Additionally, he was dominant in the GTD Pro class of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2023. Juncadella is also a factory driver in the WEC, racing for Genesis. In the past, he won the European Formula 3 Championship and drove free practice sessions for the F1 team Force India. Lucas Auer, in turn, is a regular in the DTM and races as a factory driver for Mercedes-AMG.
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What does the weekend look like?
The race weekend at the Nürburgring starts on Thursday, with two qualifying sessions in the afternoon and evening. Because Verstappen competes in the top class, these first sessions are not decisive for his starting position. His team will indeed be active on Thursday but will mainly use these hours as preparation for Friday. Only then can Verstappen Racing qualify for the race and possibly secure pole position. The organization introduced a format this year with Top Q1, Top Q2, and Top Q3, similar to Formula 1. A maximum of six cars have already qualified for Top Q3 through the results of the first three NLS races and the qualifying sessions in April.
Verstappen has not yet secured a spot in Top Q3; his team will still have to prove themselves on Friday. After Top Q1, the twenty fastest cars advance to Top Q2, after which twelve cars compete in Top Q3 for pole position. On Saturday, the race starts at 3:00 PM, and 24 hours later on Sunday, the checkered flag falls. During the race, all teams—from amateur classes to the absolute top—use two, three, or four drivers. A driver may drive a maximum of 150 minutes consecutively, followed by a mandatory rest period of at least 120 minutes.
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‘The Green Hell’
The Nordschleife, opened in 1927, grew over the decades into one of the most iconic and feared circuits in the world. The circuit for the 24-hour race consists of two parts: the more than twenty-kilometer-long Nordschleife and a shortened version of the modern Grand Prix circuit. Especially the Nordschleife enjoys an almost mythical status within motorsport. With more than 170 corners, elevation changes up to 290 meters, and constantly changing weather conditions, the asphalt ribbon in the Eifel is considered one of the greatest challenges for drivers.
The unpredictable weather often plays a major role in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. While one part of the circuit basks in the sun, dense fog or even heavy rain can fall elsewhere. Especially during the nighttime hours, temperatures drop sharply, and the danger lies in treacherous fog banks. The Nordschleife is not called ‘The Green Hell’ for nothing, a nickname coined by three-time F1 champion Jackie Stewart after the 1968 German GP. Stewart drove under miserable conditions at the time: heavy rain, fog, and a broken wrist. The race later went down in history as one of the most dangerous Grands Prix ever.
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Top event
The 24 Hours of Nürburgring has grown since 1970 into one of the most unique races in the world. The endurance classic combines professional factory teams with ambitious amateur drivers; a combination that hardly exists elsewhere in motorsport on this scale. Year after year, not only the field of participants grows but also the attraction for fans. In 2026, no less than 161 cars will start, the largest number of participants in over ten years. The increasing attention around Max Verstappen, who has prominently spotlighted the Nürburgring in recent months, undoubtedly brings extra interest.
The atmosphere around the event is at least as legendary as the race itself. For many fans, the weekend feels more like a festival than a traditional car race. In 2025, an estimated 280,000 spectators visited the event, but due to Verstappen’s participation, it is expected that the number of fans will break records again in 2026. According to the latest reports, tickets for the event are selling at record speed.
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