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Max Verstappen has spent the 2026 F1 season making headlines for all the wrong reasons – calling the new regulations “anti-racing” and referencing Mario Kart – but this weekend he gets to do something that clearly matters more to him than any of it.
He makes his debut in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring between May 14 and 17, 2026.
The event sold out for the first time in its 50-plus-year history the moment Verstappen’s entry was confirmed, and the race deserves the attention.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is run on the combined layout of the Nordschleife and the modern Grand Prix circuit, forming a lap of roughly 25.3 km – one of the most demanding endurance circuits in the world, blending FIA-grade infrastructure with a semi-permanent road course that runs through dense forest, with 73 corners and around 300 metres of elevation change per lap.
It features 150 cars across multiple classes, with professional and amateur drivers competing on the same circuit simultaneously.
It is not a sterile prototype showcase. It is organized chaos with a finishing flag at the end.
Verstappen will race for CP Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, sharing driving duties with Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer.
While it is his debut in the race itself, the four-time world champion has already shown what the car can do, during April’s qualifiers, he led the field for 90 minutes before some technical issues intervened.
The pace is clearly there. Whether the machinery holds together for 24 hours is a different question entirely.
The action begins on Thursday, May 14, with the first qualifying session running from 13:15 to 15:15 local time – that’s 12:15–14:15 UK or 7:15–9:15 a.m. Eastern.
Later that day, a second session takes place in near-darkness from 20:00 to 23:30 local time (19:30–22:30 UK, 14:30–17:30 ET).
Drivers, including Verstappen, must complete a number of laps in the dark to be eligible for a night-time stint during the race.
Friday continues with Top Qualifying sessions from 10:15 local time, with a third qualifying session scheduled from 12:00 to 13:05 (11:00–12:05 UK, 06:00–07:05 ET) and pole position decided during Top Qualifying 3 at 13:35 (12:35 UK, 07:35 ET).
Saturday, May 16, begins with a warm-up session from 10:00 to 11:00, the final act before the 24-hour race begins at 15:00 (14:00 UK, 09:00 ET).
The race runs through the night and finishes Sunday afternoon – which means, for US viewers, the bulk of the action lands in watchable morning and afternoon hours on Saturday before the night stint takes over.
You can watch the whole thing for free.
The official Nürburgring and Red Bull TV YouTube channels will be covering the weekend live.
We’ll have the live YouTube stream embedded right here on MotorBiscuit so you don’t need to go hunting for it.
There’s also a dedicated onboard stream for the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the official Nürburgring YouTube channel – raw engine sound, no commentary, just the car.
Verstappen has recently reflected on his time at the Nürburgring and said it reminded him of “what real motorsport is like,” jumping out of the car feeling “happy.”
That might be the most honest thing anyone connected to a racing team has said in years. Whatever happens over the next four days, it’s hard to argue with the reasoning.
Continue reading...
He makes his debut in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring between May 14 and 17, 2026.
The event sold out for the first time in its 50-plus-year history the moment Verstappen’s entry was confirmed, and the race deserves the attention.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is run on the combined layout of the Nordschleife and the modern Grand Prix circuit, forming a lap of roughly 25.3 km – one of the most demanding endurance circuits in the world, blending FIA-grade infrastructure with a semi-permanent road course that runs through dense forest, with 73 corners and around 300 metres of elevation change per lap.
It features 150 cars across multiple classes, with professional and amateur drivers competing on the same circuit simultaneously.
It is not a sterile prototype showcase. It is organized chaos with a finishing flag at the end.
Verstappen will race for CP Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, sharing driving duties with Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer.
While it is his debut in the race itself, the four-time world champion has already shown what the car can do, during April’s qualifiers, he led the field for 90 minutes before some technical issues intervened.
The pace is clearly there. Whether the machinery holds together for 24 hours is a different question entirely.
When the Action Starts and How to Watch It Free
The action begins on Thursday, May 14, with the first qualifying session running from 13:15 to 15:15 local time – that’s 12:15–14:15 UK or 7:15–9:15 a.m. Eastern.
Later that day, a second session takes place in near-darkness from 20:00 to 23:30 local time (19:30–22:30 UK, 14:30–17:30 ET).
Drivers, including Verstappen, must complete a number of laps in the dark to be eligible for a night-time stint during the race.
Friday continues with Top Qualifying sessions from 10:15 local time, with a third qualifying session scheduled from 12:00 to 13:05 (11:00–12:05 UK, 06:00–07:05 ET) and pole position decided during Top Qualifying 3 at 13:35 (12:35 UK, 07:35 ET).
Saturday, May 16, begins with a warm-up session from 10:00 to 11:00, the final act before the 24-hour race begins at 15:00 (14:00 UK, 09:00 ET).
The race runs through the night and finishes Sunday afternoon – which means, for US viewers, the bulk of the action lands in watchable morning and afternoon hours on Saturday before the night stint takes over.
You can watch the whole thing for free.
The official Nürburgring and Red Bull TV YouTube channels will be covering the weekend live.
We’ll have the live YouTube stream embedded right here on MotorBiscuit so you don’t need to go hunting for it.
There’s also a dedicated onboard stream for the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the official Nürburgring YouTube channel – raw engine sound, no commentary, just the car.
Verstappen has recently reflected on his time at the Nürburgring and said it reminded him of “what real motorsport is like,” jumping out of the car feeling “happy.”
That might be the most honest thing anyone connected to a racing team has said in years. Whatever happens over the next four days, it’s hard to argue with the reasoning.
Continue reading...
