Verstappen lines up more preparation races for Nurburgring 24 Hours

Red Bull Formula 1 star Max Verstappen will compete in the 24h Qualifiers at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife on 18-19 April.

The four-time F1 champion will compete alongside Lucas Auer in the two four-hour races, one on Saturday evening and the other on Sunday.

This is made possible by the cancellations of the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing Iran conflict.

The 24h Qualifiers consist of two four-hour races at the full 25.378km circuit of the Nurburgring-Nordschleife as opposed to the slightly shorter 24.358km version used by the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS).

Verstappen indicated his hopes of starting the 24h Qualifiers as soon as the F1 races were cancelled, claiming that he wants to race at the Nordschleife in the dark before taking on the Nurburgring 24 Hours itself.

With sunset scheduled for 8.30pm, the first of the two races lasts until 9.30pm, providing the chance for one hour of racing in the dark if Verstappen takes on the second half of the four-hour race.

He was already able to fulfil a wish he expressed after his victory with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon at the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis had been stripped: driving the Nordschleife in the rain.

Just two days after last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen was back at the Eifel track for a film and test day to collect valuable test mileage in the Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Various photos and videos circulated on social media, while his pitstop at the Dottinger Hohe gas station, one of the most famous gathering points for fans around the 'Green Hell', caused a particular stir.

Verstappen commented shortly: "Fast on the Nordschleife. Really enjoyed it out there." Given his critical remarks of the 2026 F1 cars, these words also carry political weight.

Verstappen will race together with Auer for the first time, after the Austrian was not present at NLS2. This ensures Verstappen will have completed at least one race together with each of his three team-mates for the 24-hour race.

Gounon and Juncadella are unavailable at the 24h Qualifiers weekend as they are competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship in Imola on the same weekend.

Schedule 24h Qualifiers 2026 (all CET times)

Friday 17 April
12:15–14:45: Test and set-up sessions

Saturday 18 April
08:30–10:00: Qualifying Race 1
17:30–21:30: Race 1

Sunday 19 April
08:15–09:45: Qualifying Race 2
10:40–11:40: Top Qualifying
13:00–17:00: Race 2