Max Verstappen set for imminent Mercedes GT3 race debut at Nurburgring

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen will make his race debut in Mercedes GT3 machinery this weekend ahead of his participation in the upcoming Nurburgring 24 hours.

Verstappen announced after the recent Australian Grand Prix that he will participate in the famous 24-hour race at the Nurburgring in May.

Max Verstappen making Mercedes GT3 race debut at Nurburgring

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

He will compete behind the wheel of a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car following a tie-up between his Verstappen Racing outfit and Mercedes.

Verstappen will be part of a four-man driver lineup including Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.

The Nurburgring 24 hours will be held across May 14-17 and fall between the Miami and Canadian grands prix.

Analysis: Chinese Grand Prix

Chinese GP conclusions: Verstappen sabbatical fear, mixed Hamilton feelings, McLaren Powertrains

Winners and losers from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

As preparations for the race step up, Verstappen and his teammates will participate in an NLS2 race at the Nurburgring this weekend.

Despite driving the Mercedes GT3 in a number of test sessions, this weekend’s race marks Verstappen’s first competitive outing behind the wheel of the car.

As reported by PlanetF1.com in January, Saturday’s race at the Nurburgring had originally been scheduled to take place March 28, which would have clashed with qualifying day at the Japanese Grand Prix.

However, the decision was made to bring the race forward by seven days to give Verstappen the chance to compete.

In an announcement at the time, organisers said the date change was made “to further build on the global visibility that the NLS gained last year through Max Verstappen’s participation, to the benefit of all teams and competitors.”

The Mercedes F1 team was heavily linked with a move for Verstappen last summer before the team opted to retain its current driver lineup of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Mercedes has enjoyed a strong start to the F1 2026 season with Russell and Antonelli winning in Australia and China respectively.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has had a troubled start to the new campaign and registered his first retirement since last June in Shanghai last weekend.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, weighed in on Verstappen’s difficult start to the season in China, commenting that the Red Bull RB22 looks “horrendous” to drive.

He said: “Max is really in a horror show.

“When you look at the onboard that he has in qualifying yesterday, it’s just horrendous to drive.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: ‘Brutal to watch’ – Red Bull insider weighs in on Max Verstappen’s ‘big problem’