Max Verstappen to Make Nurburgring 24 Hours Debut with Mercedes
Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen will compete in the legendary Nurburgring 24 Hours for the first time this year, driving for Mercedes-AMG.
The Dutch driver has been confirmed for the 14-17 May endurance race with the factory-supported Winward team, competing under the Verstappen Racing banner. He will share the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with factory drivers Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, as well as Daniel Juncadella, who recently joined Genesis’ Hypercar programme.
Auer, Gounon and Juncadella all have extensive experience on the demanding Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, with the latter two also racing together for Winward in GT World Challenge Europe.
Before the 24-hour race, the quartet will compete in the NLS2 event on March 21 as preparation. The race was moved forward by a week at Mercedes’ request so Verstappen could take part, avoiding a clash with the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit. Verstappen had previously indicated he wanted to complete at least one early-season Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie race to be fully prepared for the endurance event.
Last year’s race
His only prior outing at the Nordschleife came last November, when he drove an Emil Frey Ferrari 296 GT3 in the penultimate NLS round and secured victory after earning his DMSB Nordschleife permit.
«The Nurburgring is a special place. There’s no other track like it,» Max Verstappen said. «The 24-hour race has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m thrilled we can finally make it happen.»
Mercedes-AMG will field two Performance Teams for the race, both operated by Winward. Alongside the Verstappen Racing entry, a second car will run under the Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL banner with drivers Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz. Engel was part of the line-up that delivered Mercedes’ most recent Nürburgring 24 Hours victory in 2016.
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