Max Verstappen makes new announcement after latest Nurburgring appearance

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen has confirmed that he will take part in the Nurburgring 24-hour qualifiers later this month.

Verstappen announced last month that he will make his debut in the Nurburgring 24 hours in May in the latest step in his burgeoning endurance career.

Max Verstappen to take part in Nurburgring 24-hour qualifiers

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The Dutchman impressed when he took part in the recent NLS2 race at the Nordschleife, converting pole position into a dominant victory at the German venue.

However, Verstappen and teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon were disqualified hours after the race due to a tyre infringement.

The number three car was found to have used seven sets of tyres across qualifying and the race combined, one more than the permitted maximum of six.

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Following last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen returned to the Nordschleife this week for more testing with the Red Bull-liveried Mercedes AMG-GT3 as his preparations for the Nurburgring 24 hours step up.

With the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix creating a five-week gap in the calendar, Verstappen has announced that he will return to the Nurburgring for the 24-hour qualifiers on April 18-19.

The qualifiers, which will see Verstappen take to the Nurburgring at night for the first time, had been set to clash with F1’s race in Jeddah before the cancellations.

A post by the Verstappen.com social media accounts on Thursday read: “Max returns to the Nordschleife soon for the 24hNBR Qualifiers, together with Austrian driver Lucas Auer for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.”

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

The announcement of Verstappen’s latest trip to the Nurburgring comes after he openly cast doubt over his F1 future in Japan last weekend.

Verstappen, who has been a fierce critic of the new F1 2026 rules, admitted that his disillusionment with the direction the sport it heading could drive him away.

He said at Suzuka: “I’m not even frustrated anymore. I’m beyond that – I don’t know the right word in English for it. I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest.

“I don’t get upset about it. I don’t get disappointed or frustrated by it anymore with what’s going on.

“You know how I think about stuff, I don’t need to mention it again. So a lot of stuff obviously for me personally to figure out.”

Verstappen’s father, the former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, admitted earlier this week that he is “worried” his son’s motivation could suffer in 2026.

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