Is Verstappen's Nurburgring start already finalised?

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Whether Max Verstappen will be driving in the legendary Nurburgring 24 Hours this year is a hot topic of debate. The course for that appearance had been set by the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) bringing forward the second round of the championship to avoid a clash with the Formula 1 calendar.

So now it’s clearly up to the four-time F1 world champion.But he has been reluctant to do so recently – and an official confirmation is still pending.

However, as Autosport’s sister title Motorsport-Total.com has learned from well-informed sources, Verstappen’s start at NLS2 on 21 March 2026 is now certain. The 28-year-old Dutchman will compete in the four-hour race with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the Winward team.

The race, which was brought forward by a week at Mercedes’ request and will now take place on Saturday between the grands prix in China and Japan, is Verstappen’s only chance to prepare for the 24-hour challenge in the Eifel, as long as F1 does not cancel the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia without replacement due to the war in Iran.

If that happens, there would theoretically also be the possibility of Verstappen competing in NLS3 (11 April) and the Qualifiers weekend (18-19 April).

It is understood that preparations are already in full swing. With experienced Winward man Thomas Gleibs, the race engineer who will look after Verstappen’s car has also been selected.

As for the Verstappen’s team-mates, rumour has it that there is now even a possibility that the car will compete with the same line-up as in the 24-hour race later in the year.

In addition to DTM runner-up Lucas Auer, Verstappen’s confidant Daniel Juncadella and Mercedes works driver Jules Gounon are now also available on 21 March, which was not originally expected. The reason for this is the postponement of the opening round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Qatar due to the war in the Middle East.

This also meant that the pre-season-test (Prologue) on 22 and 23 March, which would have overlapped with NLS2, was cancelled. As a result, Juncadella and Gounon are not needed for the Genesis and Alpine Hypercar projects respectively.

The quartet 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.

Max Verstappen, Mercedes-AMG GT3

Photo by: Miguel Reis / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Verstappen’s sim racing colleague Chris Lulham, with whom he won in the Emil Frey Ferrari on the Nordschleife, was also originally considered a candidate, but he lacks experience on the demanding race track with its hills and valleys, as well as experience in the Mercedes car.

But does Verstappen’s start at NLS2 automatically mean that he will also compete in the 24-hour race at the ‘Green Hell’ from 14 to 17 May? There is likely to be a basic agreement between Verstappen and Mercedes-AMG in this regard. However, cancellation of NLS2 cannot be completely ruled out due to the unpredictable weather in the Eifel region.

“If I do it, I need one race in preparation compared to guys that have been doing it for a while and have a bit more experience,” Verstappen said during F1 testing in Bahrain, setting a clear condition for entry. “Also, for me, doing it in a new car that I’ve not driven there at the Nordschleife, I think you need a race just to learn the procedures.”

It would therefore come as no surprise if Verstappen kept the theoretical option open to cancel the project should the conditions not suit him. But one thing is also clear: in the past ten years, there have only been two occasions when there was no clash between the 24-hour race and the F1 calendar. In addition, Verstappen has recently been testing intensively with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. As such, it’s unclear if another opportunity as favourable as 2026 will arise.

A victory would not only make Verstappen history, but also prevent the Silver Arrows from going ten years without a win in the classic race. And that as a Red Bull driver!