Max Verstappen reveals major issue halting 24-hour race debut

Max Verstappen has revealed that there is a  issue putting his participation in this year's 24 Hours of the Nurburgring Nordschleife at risk.

The four-time world champion has made it no secret that the entirety of his racing career will not be spent in Formula 1, with the Dutchman eager to compete in endurance categories. 

Verstappen has a love for GT racing, and in addition to having his own GT team (Verstappen.com Racing), much of his downtime is spent testing various GT3 machinery.

"During the [winter break] I was able to rest a bit, but it was nice to get back on the track with the GT3s, cars I love," Verstappen told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

"At the moment I don't set myself any concrete goals, because my focus as a driver is on Formula 1, but I want to grow my team (Verstappen.com Racing) and not lose the passion for endurance racing."

Last year, during multiple gaps in the F1 calendar, the 28-year-old entered an NLS (Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie) GT4 race at the Nurburgring to gain the necessary licence to race GT3 cars at the full historic circuit.

After gaining the licence, he made his competitive GT3 debut in another NLS race, securing victory with ease. For Verstappen, it is all steps towards a 24-hour appearance.

"I definitely want to drive the 24 Hours of Le Mans and all the other iconic races in endurance racing," added the Red Bull driver.

"But I want to do that step by step, without rushing, and without finding out later that the commitments I've made, both personally and with my team, are too big to live up to. 

"If I do something in motor racing, I don't want to do it just to be there; I want to do it to be competitive. Always."

Verstappen's 2026 Nurburgring problem

Unfortunately, an appearance in Le Mans is off the cards this year for Verstappen, due to it clashing with F1's Spanish Grand Prix. 

However, the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring does not clash with the pinnacle of motorsport, but there is still a problem putting Verstappen's participation in doubt. 

Should Verstappen enter this year's 24-hour race at the Nurburgring a week before the Canadian Grand Prix, he wants to complete the necessary preparation for the event. 

That creates a significant issue, as the preparation races ahead of the 24-hour event do clash with F1 races.

Asked if he will race in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring this year, Verstappen replied: "At the moment it is very difficult to give an answer to that. 

"I would like to drive that race well prepared and the preparation races clash with Formula 1. So only if something changes will I be able to compete this year."