Verstappen to compete in ‘bucket list’ 24-hour race

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen will tick off one of his “bucket list” events to compete in the Nurburgring 24-Hours endurance race.

The 28-year-old Red Bull F1 driver will get behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG GT car at the event in May, which sees showroom-style cars take on the famous 15.8-mile circuit in the Eifel mountains in Germany.

The Dutchman, who finished sixth in Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, said: “The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There’s no other track like it. The 24-hours of Nurburgring is a race that’s been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really thrilled we can make it happen now.”

It is very rare for an F1 driver to take part in a lower level motorsport event, especially of Verstappen’s calibre, but he has long-enjoyed driving on motorsport simulator games and has a particular affinity with sportscar racing.

It is widely considered Verstappen could one day compete at the Le Mans 24-Hours, an event which has exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to the introduction of new ‘hypercar’ regulations, which has seen the likes of Ferrari, Peugeot, Aston Martin and Ford return to the top level of sportscars.

The revered Nurgburgring 24-hours is a level below races such as Le Mans, which is part of the World Endurance Championship, which last week announced it will postpone the season-opening Qatar 1812km race because the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until 2028, but had previously been linked with the Mercedes F1 programme.