Max Verstappen will take part in this year’s legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring race in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
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| Photo: Mihai Stetcu |
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen today announced his participation in one of the toughest races in the world — the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. However, this is not a spontaneous decision; Verstappen has had this race on his bucket list for quite some time. Last year he already appeared in the “Green Hell” during two NLS races. In the first one he drove a Porsche Cayman GT4, which earned him the special racing license required to compete on the Nordschleife in the top GT3 category. In the second race he competed in a Ferrari 296 GT3, and together with his teammates he even managed to win the event.
Before the 24-hour race itself, he will still compete in one more NLS round in order to properly prepare. This race was even moved to a different date specifically because of Verstappen, so that it would not clash with a Formula 1 Grand Prix. The event will now take place on March 21, the weekend before the Japanese Grand Prix.
Max will share the car with three other drivers: Mercedes factory driver Jules Gounon, who has previously won races such as the Rolex 24 and the Spa 24 Hours; Lucas Auer, also a Mercedes factory driver; and Daniel Juncadella, who will also compete this year with the Genesis hypercar in the WEC series.
“The Nurburgring is a special place," Verstappen 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.”
Max’s debut in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring will take place on May 16–17. The entire 24-hour race will be streamed for free on the Nürburgring YouTube channel.