– Less than a week after Max Verstappen nearly celebrated an overall victory at the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring, the 28-year-old Dutchman returns to the cockpit of his Red Bull RB22 this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix (schedule).
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However, how great his motivation actually is remains questionable. Because unlike the endurance classic in the Eifel, Verstappen is unlikely to have chances for a podium finish at the Formula 1 race in Montreal, let alone a victory.
The Red Bull driver did not have the season start he had hoped for in advance this year. After the first four race weekends of the new Formula 1 era, the four-time world champion is only in seventh place in the overall standings and already 74 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
This is also because Red Bull built a car with the RB22 that currently suffers from massive balance problems and has difficulty maintaining tire grip consistently. As a result, the team has so far fought mostly in the midfield throughout the season instead of at the front.
Max Verstappen enjoys the 24-hour race
Verstappen has appeared frustrated for months. After the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March, where he managed to fight up to eighth place despite a Q2 exit, he even spoke of having to make a “life decision.”
Added to this is his well-known aversion to increasing electrification. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the Dutchman, who has already won four world titles and has nothing left to prove in Formula 1, is showing increasing interest in competing in significantly more endurance races in the future.
Because this is exactly the type of motorsport Verstappen loves. Despite all the discussions around the Balance of Performance, it was palpable from the first moment how liberating the Nürburgring weekend was for him. He was there to race, not to answer political questions or deal with championship calculations.
Verstappen only attended a few media appointments and instead enjoyed the enthusiasm in the Eifel, where an extraordinary atmosphere prevailed thanks to 352,000 visitors. “In the first practice sessions on Thursday afternoon, I saw Max drive out of the pit lane and looked at the grandstand,” said teammate Jules Gounon.
“Normally, there are many people at the first practice sessions because of the big race, but not everything is full. This time it was full. That is just something special, and I think this race has always been special. But with Max, it is even more special.”
Verstappen drives at the Nürburgring without pressure
And indeed, it hardly mattered how Verstappen ultimately performed. There were no discussions about his car, no critical questions about the championship table. The fans simply celebrated his presence, just like many drivers in the field who saw him less as a rival and more as an opportunity to race against a world champion.
“He is definitely someone I look up to and can learn a lot from,” said Abt-Lamborghini driver Luca Engstler. “He has a huge passion, just like many drivers here, and I think that’s why we can identify with him so well.”
The pressure was practically gone, which was a stark contrast to a normal race weekend in Formula 1. Verstappen was immediately fast, already setting the third fastest lap in practice and then helping the team secure fourth place on the grid.
He started his first stint in the race after about an hour. There, the Dutchman showed an absolute masterclass: He came onto the track in tenth place and worked his way to the front within two hours before handing over a lead of over 20 seconds to teammate Gounon.
“At first, I was a bit stuck in traffic,” Verstappen explained afterwards, “so it was difficult to overtake cars. But once I had overtaken a few and then the weather changed with a few slippery laps, I think we made the difference.”
“And after that, the car was good. You try to avoid trouble, but at the same time, you have to push and go to the limit. That’s always a difficult compromise, but it worked well.” It was visible how Verstappen enjoyed the opportunity to show his talent, which he has not really been able to do so far in the 2026 Formula 1 season.
AMG duel excites fans at the Nürburgring
His strong performances continued during the night in his second stint. He got into the Mercedes as second, six seconds behind Maro Engel in the sister AMG #80, but quickly closed the gap, overtook the AMG factory driver, and then built a 20-second lead.
Of course, a certain team order from Mercedes-AMG also played a role after both cars lightly touched during a duel around three o’clock in the night. Nevertheless, both drivers radiated enthusiasm after the duel.
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“It was a lot of fun,” said Engel, who later won the race. “I had a smile under the helmet. It was really great to race against him. We pushed completely at the limit, and the night on the Nordschleife is always something special.”
Probably the reaction in Formula 1 would have been much tenser, where pressure and consequences are much greater. But at the classic at the Nürburgring, the drivers simply wanted to race – especially Verstappen, who showed no hesitation throughout the 24 hours to fight uncompromisingly.
And for a long time, everything looked like a perfect weekend: The Verstappen-AMG #3 was comfortably in the lead and heading for victory. “So far, it couldn’t be going better, but there are still a few hours to go. So we have to stay focused and then see where we end up,” said Verstappen.
Why Max Verstappen loves the 24h Nürburgring
When asked what he particularly liked about the weekend, the Formula 1 star replied: “Generally just the competition. This kind of endurance race where you share the car with teammates. The track is extremely challenging; just the whole combination.”
But victory was not to be in the end. A defective driveshaft threw Verstappen and his teammates out of the fight for first place and handed the overall victory to rival Engel and his teammates in the sister car. However, this did not change Verstappen’s fundamental enthusiasm.
“A very unfortunate and frustrating end, but things like that can happen,” wrote the Dutchman on social media. “I still really enjoyed the experience together with Jules, Luggi, and Dani. Thanks to the team and everyone at the track for the support.”
Verstappen also confirmed that he would like to return if the race calendar allows it. One gets the impression that this weekend was exactly what he needed: back to the basics of racing – and away from the constant worry about the final result.
Verstappen refocuses on Formula 1
Despite all the enthusiasm, it would probably be an exaggeration to claim that Verstappen now wants to leave Formula 1 as quickly as possible. At a recent Viaplay event, the 28-year-old made it clear that a fifth Formula 1 world championship title is still more important to him than a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I also feel that I can still win Le Mans when I am a bit older,” he said. There is therefore little doubt that Verstappen will now fully refocus on Formula 1, starting with Montreal.
There, he is likely to receive a hero’s welcome after his Nürburgring appearance, especially as more and more Formula 1 drivers show interest in other racing series. But then Verstappen will quickly be confronted again with the harsh reality of the 2026 regulations and the fact that he currently cannot fight for wins.
In addition, Verstappen will probably be asked for the first time about the already confirmed Formula 1 rules for 2027. These foresee a future ratio of 60:40 between combustion engine and electric power, a concept to which Verstappen remains critical.
Red Bull hopes to close the gap
The euphoria of the Nordschleife may therefore linger for a day or two before the uncompromising focus returns to the track in Montreal. Nevertheless, Red Bull has reason for optimism, as the team showed significant improvement in Miami and reduced the gap to Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari.
Verstappen qualified second in Florida behind polesitter Antonelli. Although he ultimately finished only fifth after a spin in the first lap, while teammate Isack Hadjar retired, Red Bull presented itself as competitive, and that is currently all the team can hope for.
“We are getting closer, but we are not there yet,” said Verstappen. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed this assessment: “There is definitely a step forward. We were 1.2 seconds off pole in Japan, one second in China.”
“The competition would not wait for us with their updates, so everyone developed their cars further for Miami,” said the Frenchman. “But we knew that in addition to the development race, we had to solve some of our problems. And we knew there was still lap time in the car.”
Even a weekend fighting for the podium would therefore be another positive step for Red Bull and Verstappen, who has not yet announced when he will compete in his next endurance race. Undoubtedly, that will happen soon – but for now, the Formula 1 star returns to his main job in the top class.
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