Max Verstappen identifies major F1 problem with 24 Hours dream

Max Verstappen believes the intense schedule of the early 2026 F1 season could derail his bid to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Last weekend, the Dutchman obtained his licence to race at the Nordschleife, permitting him to potentially enter the twice-around-the-clock endurance race in May 2026.

Fortunately, the race falls between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, but Verstappen has highlighted the potential difficulties of taking part given the huge scale of change coming to F1 in 2026 with the new technical regulations. 

Prior to the 24 Hours on the weekend of May 15-17th, there will be six races in nine weeks from the Australia season-opener on March 8th to Miami on May 3rd, including a Sprint in China on top of pre-season testing which begins in January.

Despite Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko permitting Verstappen to race in the 24 Hours, the world champion feels it will be "tricky" to achieve.

"I mean, I know that I needed to get my permit, so I had to do that race, and the GT4 car itself down-tuned is not the most exciting, but you still learn a lot from a day like that," Verstappen told the media, including RacingNews365. 

"Luckily, it rained, it was dry, and you get more experience on the track dealing with traffic as a slower car, which is not always the easiest, and then just staying out of trouble.

"My dream is eventually to do the 24 Hour race, so I knew I needed the licence, and it was the perfect opportunity to do so. 

"I think Helmut was very excited about it, he sees how passionate I am about it and what I am doing it for. 

"He himself raced in endurance, and it's easier to relate, but it is very important [for me] to be able to do those things.

"Of course, how much I can do in an F1 season is a bit tricky and also next year with the new regulations, it is already hard enough, but we will see how everything goes.

"I mean, it is impossible to say right now what will happen in five or 10 years on the F1 or GT side."

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Verstappen on his instructors

Verstappen also briefly touched on the help and assistance he received from the instructors at the Nurburgring, explaining how he quickly ditched the classroom for practical work. 

"The instructors were super helpful with me," he added. "We talked to them about making it as smooth as possible, like not sitting in the classroom, and it was better to go on track and do a lap.

"I'm also not a total rookie to the track. Sometimes, people are fully amateur, so then it needs a different kind of coaching, but I've done thousands of laps plus the test I did before, and honestly, they were very helpful. 

"Rules are rules, so you have to stick to them, but at the same time, they were very open-minded, and it worked out well in the end.