Daytona 24 hours drivers identify the one person missing from the race's grid

Max Verstappen has been implored to pursue endurance racing by multiple drivers competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The famed race, called the Rolex 24, gets underway later today at the Daytona International Speedway and it is clear there is considerable appetite to have the four-time F1 drivers' champion competing in Florida.

The existing grid for the race is well stocked, with 14 former F1 drivers listed amongst the 235-strong field, as well as Felipe Drugovich, Fredrik Vesti and Arthur Leclerc, all of whom have experience in reserve or development roles in the so-called pinnacle of motorsport.

It is, therefore, not unprecedented for ex-F1 drivers to make the switch and when three-time V8 Supercar champion and soon-to-be NASCAR rookie Shane van Gisbergen was asked by AP News which driver was missing from the race, he simply replied: "Max."

That one-word answer underlines Verstappen's status and influence in global motorsport. It was a sentiment shared by Ben Keating, who echoed the views of team-mate Van Gisbergen.

"I’d like to see Max Verstappen come out here and play around with us," Keating, who will drive the number 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport GTD Pro car alongside the New Zealander, said.

Van Gisbergen, backed by Red Bull himself, shared that he was speaking with Verstappen during his preparation for the Rolex 24. He added: "I think he’d be good here."

Magnussen: Verstappen 'would do Daytona'

The driver racing in the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona with the most recent F1 experience is former Haas man Kevin Magnussen, whose BMW starts from pole.

The 32-year-old has prior endurance experience, from his time away from F1 in 2021, and believes Verstappen will make a similar step in the future.

"I don’t see him continuing 10 years in F1," the Danish driver said. "He’s a proper racer, so he would do Daytona. Based on all the sim racing he does and he already has a GT team."

Verstappen has previously stated he would like to set up his own GT3 team and is known to be interested in endurance racing.

"The first step is our own GT3 team and then we’ll see where we end up," the Red Bull driver previously told Dutch magazine Formule 1. "It would be nice to be able to grow to the highest level in endurance racing."

The 27-year-old got the opportunity to try an Acura sports car at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November last year ahead him clinching his fourth-successive F1 title under the lights of Sin City.