Verstappen to Drive Red Bull‑Branded Mercedes‑AMG GT3 in Nürburgring 24 Hours

Verstappen has stated that he wants to compete in major endurance races because his father participated in them when he was a child. Since securing his fourth Formula 1 world championship at the end of 2024, he has increased his activity outside the F1 calendar, completing several practice laps at the Nordschleife over the past twelve months. He also races regularly in sim racing for Team Redline and won a virtual Nürburgring 24 Hours event in 2024.

For the actual event, Verstappen will pilot a Red Bull‑branded Mercedes‑AMG GT3, a GT3‑specification car based on the Mercedes‑AMG GT road model. The Nürburgring 24 Hours entry list includes 161 cars set to run the 15.769‑mile circuit, which is nicknamed the Green Hell. In his own words, "All the big endurance races I want to do, it's something that when I was a kid, my dad was doing them." GT3 cars typically run about one hour on a full fuel tank before requiring a pit stop for tyre change and refuelling.

The Nürburgring start represents a business‑focused expansion of Verstappen’s brand, offering exposure to endurance‑racing audiences and potential partners outside the single‑seater sphere. Completing a full 24‑hour distance will provide his team with data on tyre degradation, fuel consumption, and driver changeover under varying light conditions—information that is not gathered in sprint‑format F1 races. Analysts will monitor his lap times relative to the GT3 class leaders and his ability to navigate slower traffic on the narrow Nordschleife, especially during night hours. A solid performance could strengthen the case for a future prototype‑class campaign, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, particularly as Red Bull’s technical partner Ford prepares to enter the World Endurance Championship’s top class in 2027. What to watch next: how Verstappen finishes the race and whether he announces additional endurance‑program commitments in the coming months.