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Max Verstappen to make Nurburgring 24 Hours return on one condition after F1 star's twist
Reach Daily Express | May 17, 2026 9:39 PM CST

Max Verstappen has said that he plans to return to the Nurburgring 24 Hours race next year - as long as his schedule allows. The four-time world F1 champion made his debut at the German track this weekend.

The race saw plenty of twist and turns for his Mercedes team, decked in Red Bull colours. Verstappen had dramatically put the team in the lead on Saturday evening.

They maintained that lead going into the morning. The Dutchman completed a two-stint spell before handing over to Daniel Juncandella.

However, shortly into his stint, the driver encountered a problem with the car, he was able to manage it for some laps, before being forced to pull into the pit. The problem wasn't a quick fix with the team falling down the rankings and ruling them out of contention.

Shortly after the changeover and before the technical fault came to light, Verstappen gave his thoughts on the race. When asked if he will be back next year, Verstappen said: "I will of course, try, it always depends a bit on my schedule, but let's first enjoy now.

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On his enjoyment of the race, he said: "In general, it's just the competition, the endurance style racing where you share with teammates. The 24-hour race here, the track is super challenging, so it's just the whole combo.

His decision to compete in the race comes after he made his feelings on the new F1 regulations that were introduced at the start of this season, clear. "I love racing, but we can only take so much, right? I think they are willing to listen, FIA and F1, I just hope of course that there is some action," he said.

"I mean it's not that I'm the only one saying it, I think a lot are saying it, if it's drivers, fans, we just want the best for the sport. It's not like we are critical just to be critical, we are critical for a reason, we want it to be F1, proper F1 on steroids. Today that of course was again not the case.

"I would say the same if I would be winning races, because I care about the racing product. It's not about being upset of where I am, because I'm actually fighting even more now, of course."


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