– Will Max Verstappen drive in the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife this year or not? The course has been set by moving forward the second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series NLS to prevent an overlap with the Formula 1 calendar. Now the ball is clearly in the court of the four-time Formula 1 world champion.
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But he has been hesitant lately – and official confirmation is still pending. However, as Motorsport-Total.com has learned from well-informed circles, Verstappen’s start at NLS2 on March 21, 2026, is confirmed. The 28-year-old Dutchman will start the four-hour race in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the Winward team!
The round was moved forward by one week at the request of Mercedes and will now take place on Saturday between the Grands Prix in China and Japan. It is Verstappen’s only chance to prepare for the 24-hour hunt in the Eifel, as long as Formula 1 does not cancel the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia without replacement due to the Iran war.
Winward Technical Director as Verstappen’s Race Engineer
If that happens, the possibility would theoretically also arise for Verstappen to start at NLS3 (April 11) and on the Qualifiers weekend (April 18 – 19).
According to information from Motorsport-Total.com, preparations at the Mercedes-AMG team Winward are already in full swing. With the experienced Winward technical director Thomas Gleibs, the race engineer who will look after Verstappen’s car has also been decided.
Who will Verstappen share the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with in the four-hour race? Word is that there is now even the possibility that the car will compete with the same lineup as in the 24-hour race.
Because in addition to DTM runner-up Lucas Auer, Verstappen’s close confidant Daniel Juncadella and AMG factory driver Jules Gounon are now also available on March 21, which was not originally expected. The reason is the postponement of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener in Qatar due to the Iran war.
Which team partners Verstappen will compete with
As a result, the pre-test (prologue) on March 22 and 23, which would have overlapped with NLS2, was also canceled. Juncadella and Gounon are therefore not needed for the hypercar projects of Genesis-Magma and Alpine.
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The quartet of Verstappen, Auer, Juncadella, and Gounon is also set to compete in the 24-hour race with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Red Bull design and with Haribo as an additional sponsor.
Verstappen’s sim racing colleague Chris Lulham, with whom he won on the Nordschleife in the Emil Frey Ferrari, was also originally considered a candidate. However, the 22-year-old Brit lacks experience on the demanding roller-coaster track and in the Mercedes car.
How certain is the start in the 24-hour race?
But does Verstappen’s start at NLS2 automatically mean that he will also compete in the 24-hour race in the “Green Hell” from May 14 to 17? There is likely a fundamental agreement between Verstappen and Mercedes-AMG in this regard. However, a cancellation of NLS2 due to the unpredictable Eifel weather is not completely ruled out – and the Formula 1 cancellations are also not confirmed.
“If I do it, I definitely need a preparation race – compared to the guys who have been doing it longer and have more experience,” Verstappen had set a clear condition in mid-February during the Formula 1 tests in Bahrain. In addition, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is “a new car that I haven’t driven on the Nordschleife yet,” said Verstappen.
Photo gallery: Max Verstappen on the way to the 2026 24h Nürburgring
Therefore, it would not be surprising if Verstappen leaves the theoretical option open to cancel the project if the general conditions do not suit him. But it is also clear: in the past ten years, there have only been two occasions when there was no overlap between the 24-hour race and the Formula 1 calendar planning.
Furthermore, Verstappen recently tested the Mercedes-AMG GT3 intensively in Portugal. Who knows when such a favorable opportunity will arise again like in 2026.
With a triumph, not only would Verstappen himself make history: he would also prevent the brand with the star from going ten years without a victory in the Eifel classic. And that as a Red Bull driver!
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