Kimi Antonelli eyes Max Verstappen endurance link-up after Nurburgring praise
Kimi Antonelli wants to team up with Max Verstappen in an endurance race
A potential future teammate for Max Verstappen in endurance racing has emerged, in the shape of Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli.
No stranger at all to the world of GT racing, Antonelli said it would be “pretty awesome” to do an endurance race alongside Verstappen, who will compete in May’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Antonelli said that he will be keeping a close eye on that event.
Kimi Antonelli targets Max Verstappen endurance race partnership
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Verstappen, the four-time World Champion, has ramped up his GT racing activities in recent years.
This past weekend, he returned to the Nurburgring Nordschleife, this time at the wheel of a Mercedes GT3 machine, having won on debut in the class last year in a Ferrari 296 GT3.
Verstappen had seemingly picked up another win. He took the first stint and the final, either side of Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon taking the wheel. It was a commanding P1 at the finish line, but Verstappen and Co. were disqualified post-race, after inadvertently exceeding the maximum six sets of tyres for the race.
Still, it was further important experience for Verstappen as he prepares for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, taking place between 14-17 May. Verstappen will once again team up with Juncadella and Gounon, plus Lucas Auer.
Another driver who wants to team up with Verstappen one day in an endurance race is Formula 1’s newest grand prix winner, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
He is the son of sportscar racer Marco Antonelli.
Asked if he would also like to race the Mercedes GT3 machine, and if he would be interested in teaming up with Verstappen, Antonelli confirmed: “I mean, that would be super cool. I would love to do an endurance race with Max, together. I think that would be pretty awesome.
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“It’s cool, because we both have the passion for GTs. Obviously, on my side, it came from my dad, with the GT team. And occasionally, I go and test when I can.
“And Max as well has been really enjoying, and it’s really cool for him to do the 24 hours of Nurburgring. I think it’s going to be a really cool event. Definitely I’ll be watching it.
“But it’s something that in the future I would really like to do, to race with him in an endurance race. I think we would be a really cool pair, and I think it would be a really cool experience.
“It’s something that I’ve been considering as well. I’ve already asked for a test at the Nordschleife, for example, because it’s a track that I love, and I would love to be able to try it on the real world as well.”
The 2026 Formula 1 season resumes this week at Suzuka.
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