Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has confirmed his debut at the iconic Nürburgring 24 Hours later this year, piloting a striking Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 car under his own Verstappen Racing banner.
The news, revealed just a day after Verstappen’s gritty recovery drive from 20th to sixth at the 2026 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, underscores the Dutch driver’s insatiable appetite for new challenges.
The announcement was unveiled in characteristically spectacular Red Bull fashion, featuring a high-octane social media video where skydiver Max Manow executed a daring 131-meter B.A.S.E. jump into a cooling tower, unfurling the eye-catching Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 upon landing.
Verstappen’s entry into the Nürburgring 24 Hours comes at a pivotal moment in his career as Red Bull Powertrains grapples with the integration of its in-house engine for the 2026 regulations, which the driver has publicly criticized for compromising the spectacle of grand prix racing.
Fresh off a season where he lost out on securing his fifth consecutive F1 title after fierce competition from McLaren, Verstappen has long hinted at diversifying his racing portfolio with the Nordschleife topping his bucket list.
His participation was facilitated by strategic calendar adjustments from the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie organizers, who reshuffled the NLS2 event to March 21, slotting it neatly between the F1 Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix, ensuring the champion could balance his dual campaigns without conflict.
The move was reportedly influenced by high-level lobbying including from Mercedes-Benz Chairman Ola Kallenius and F1 team principal Toto Wolff, highlighting the global pull of Verstappen’s star power in elevating the profile of endurance racing.
Joining Max Verstappen in the No. 3 car will be a lineup of GT3 heavyweights: Spaniard Dani Juncadella, Andorran Jules Gounon,and Austrian Lucas Auer, forming a quartet backed by Mercedes-AMG Motorsport and Red Bull.
“The Nurburgring is a special place,” the four-time World Champion said. “There’s no other track like it. The 24h Nurburgring 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 NLS9, that we won. That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS2 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.”
Verstappen’s path to Nürburgring 24 Hours debut was paved by his secretive tests at the Nordschleife under the pseudonym “Franz Hermann” earlier last year, followed by his first competitive entry in NLS where he drove a Porsche Cayman GT4 to 27th, securing his DMSB Permit.
The permit allowed the Dutchman to compete at the track in GT3 machinery, and he went on to compete and claim a stunning victory in NLS9 aboard a Ferrari 296 GT3 alongside Chris Lulham, finishing 24.5 seconds ahead of the field in his endurance racing debut.
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