Max Verstappen has acknowledged there is still one key aspect of the Nürburgring 24 Hours he cannot fully prepare for, despite gaining valuable experience during an intense and dramatic weekend at the Nordschleife.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion was back in action in a Mercedes GT3 machine and showed strong pace throughout Sunday’s four-hour race. Starting from fifth on the grid after team-mate Lucas Auer secured Top Qualifying, Verstappen wasted little time moving forward through the field. He soon climbed into second place and found himself locked in a thrilling fight with Christopher Haase in the Scherer Sport PHX Audi.
Verstappen’s speed, combined with an efficient pit stop strategy, allowed him to open up a commanding advantage of nearly 30 seconds at one stage. However, his promising run was undone when a damaged splitter forced an unscheduled stop. The repair work took 28 minutes, and the setback dropped the Dutchman down to 39th position, effectively ending any hopes of a strong overall result.
Despite the disappointment in terms of finishing position, Verstappen remained upbeat about the experience. He expressed satisfaction with the car’s performance and said he thoroughly enjoyed the battles on track, particularly while navigating heavy traffic among the GT3 field. For him, the competitive stints and wheel-to-wheel racing provided ideal preparation ahead of the marquee endurance event in May.
However, Verstappen admitted there is one crucial element he has yet to experience — night driving at the Nordschleife. With the upcoming ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring featuring extended running in darkness, he acknowledged that this is something he simply cannot replicate fully outside of race conditions. It remains the one area where he feels slightly underprepared heading into the challenge.
The weekend had already been overshadowed by tragedy after Saturday evening’s race was cancelled following a serious accident that claimed the life of driver Juha Miettinen. The incident cast a somber mood over the paddock and brought the focus back to the inherent risks of endurance racing at one of the world’s most demanding circuits.
Looking ahead to May, Verstappen is expected to take on multiple stints during the 24-hour race, including driving in the dark — an experience that will add another layer of complexity to an already formidable test of skill, concentration, and endurance at the legendary Nürburgring.