Four-time Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has announced plans to make his debut at the ADAC 24H Nürburgring this year.
The Dutchman will share a Winward Racing-run Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella in the top SP 9 Pro category, under the ‘Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing’ banner.
In preparation, Verstappen will contest the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie on 21st March, with the team also running at this weekend’s NLS1 and the ADAC Qualifiers weekend in April.
“The Nürburgring is a special place. There’s no other track like it. The 24h Nürburgring 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,” Verstappen said.
“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.”
The Dutchman made his NLS debut last year, earning his Nordschleife Permit A in a Porsche Cayman during NLS7 before winning outright in NLS9, when he shared an Emil Frey Racing-run Ferrari 296 GT3 with his protégé Chris Lulham.
Verstappen’s co-drivers all bring extensive experience of both the Nordschleife and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to the team. Auer and Gounon are both Mercedes-AMG performance drivers, a position Genesis Hypercar driver Juncadella also held before departing the German marque at the end of 2023.
Both Juncadella and Gounon will compete for Verstappen Racing in GT World Challenge Europe this season, where the car will be operated by 2 Seas Motorsport instead of Winward Racing.
“I love the 24h Nürburgring,” Juncadella said. “I have been racing there for many years, and I am hoping to finally get a shot at winning this race. Our package is extremely strong.
“It’s a very competitive car with a very strong line-up. I know Max quite well from his simulator racing team. Also preparing for the 24h Nürburgring in the simulator is very valuable, and we have already done a lot of preparation work.”
Winward, which finished second overall in 2016, last competed at the 24H Nürburgring in 2019. Since then, the team has gone on to win the GTD class at the 24 Hours of Daytona three times, and won titles in IMSA, GT World Challenge Europe and 24H Series competition, all with Mercedes-AMG.
Alongside the Verstappen-headlined entry, the German-American team will also field a Pro effort under the ‘Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol’ banner, as it seeks to deliver the three-pointed star its first win at the event in a decade.
Winward Racing will be Mercedes-AMG’s only Performance Team at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, although customer GT3 efforts are set to bolster its presence in SP 9.
The #80 Ravenol AMG GT3 EVO will be piloted by Mercedes-AMG factory drivers Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz. This quartet shared a GetSpeed-run Mercedes-AMG at the event last year.
“The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is one of my favourite tracks and poses an enormous challenge for both man and machine,” commented 2016 winner Engel.
“With all its ups and downs, it has shaped me both in sporting terms and personally. To be successful on this track, you need a perfectly prepared vehicle, the right line-up, a strong team and, last but not least, a little bit of luck.
“We have had all of these things time and again in the past, but we have not achieved major success since 2016. We want to change that. The Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol is competing this year with a special design, and if the car is as fast as it looks with the cheetah, that is a good omen.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing, added: “With our Performance line-up, we are excellently positioned for the traditionally strong field of the 24h Nürburgring. Together with Ravenol and Verstappen Racing, we put together a balanced driver pairing whose different strengths complement each other perfectly. We are very proud that Max Verstappen and his team are also part of the AMG line-up.
“Together with the operational team Winward Racing and tyre partner Michelin, we have analysed the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in detail once again to tap into further performance potential. With the start of an intensive test programme in southern Europe at the end of February, the foundation has been laid for a successful outing at the Nürburgring.”
The 2026 ADAC 24H Nürburgring will take place on the weekend of 14th to 17th May 2026
Images courtesy of N24 & Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
