Another major step has been taken in the collaboration between Max Verstappen and Mercedes. Last December, Verstappen Racing – the Dutchman’s GT3 team – already announced a partnership with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. At the end of February, it was announced that the team – which is now officially registered as Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing – will also receive factory status within the Silver Arrows’ program.
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Max Verstappen has had his own racing team in GT3 for a few years now and has regularly participated in endurance races. For example, last year he made his debut in GT3 cars on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Dutch world champion also immediately won a race in the NLS series. Verstappen and his teammate Chris Lulham were still driving a Ferrari GT3 at the time. Previously, the two also had an Aston Martin at their disposal. In December 2025, Verstappen Racing announced it would switch to Mercedes GT3 cars.
Last Wednesday, GT World Challenge Europe – the organization behind the GT3 races – announced that Mercedes has registered Verstappen’s team as one of the three so-called ‘Performance Teams’. This means the team will receive factory support from the Silver Arrows. This support applies to both the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup. This marks another step in the collaboration between Verstappen Racing and Mercedes.
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Verstappen back to the Nürburgring?
Although the press release says nothing about a possible participation by Verstappen in one of the endurance races – Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Chris Lulham form the regular line-up for Team Verstappen Racing – the Dutchman has expressed his wish in the past to participate in a 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. The NLS series has in any case already adjusted the 2026 calendar to make participation by the four-time world champion possible.
View the 2026 F1 calendar here
