Max Verstappen's biggest rivals at the Nürburgring 24 Hours

Max Verstappen knows what it takes to win around Nordschleife, as during his GT3 debut, he and team-mate Chris Lulham ran away with victory. 

He also managed to win his second race, but the entry was later disqualified due to improper tyre use.

Verstappen also led during Race 2 of the qualifiers for the 24-hour race during his first stint, before technical problems caused him and Lucas Auer to drop out of contention.

While Verstappen and his team-mates are no doubt in a strong place to contend at the front, navigating the 24-hour race is a different beast altogether.

But it's not only some bad luck that can keep Verstappen, Juncadella, Gounon and Auer from victory. In the SP9 class in which they will be competing, there are 40 other teams hoping for the glory that comes with winning the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. 

But who exactly are their biggest competitors? Here's an overview!

#16 Scherer Sport PHX

One of the more obvious entries on this list is the one that involves Christopher Haase. The 38-year-old German has been a consistent challenger of Verstappen at previous Nordschleife races. The two are frequently seen side by side battling for the lead. It could well be that these images will appear again during the 24-hour race.

But don't count out Haase's teammates, Alexander Sims and Ben Green. Sims, in particular, has built up quite a record in sports cars. The Briton still managed to win the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2020 (together with Nicky Catsburg and Philipp Eng). In addition, Sims was twice champion in his class in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Ben Green is the least experienced driver of the three, but he too knows what it is like to win on the Nordschleife. In 2022, he managed to win the SP10 class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (along with Marcel Lenerz, Thomas Neubauer and Michael Schrey). 

In addition, Green already has several class victories in the NLS behind his name.

#1 and #99 ROWE RACING

The #1 ROWE Racing is the reigning champion, with three drivers (excluding Jordan Pepper) being part of the winning foursome in 2025. It automatically ensures that they will be among the big favourites again this year. Forced to start from 17th, the team got out of trouble while showing tremendously strong race pace. The team finished over a minute ahead of the polesitter.

In addition, Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, Jordan Pepper and Kelvin van der Linde are all proven GT drivers. Farfus managed to win the 24 Hours of Nürburgring twice before and, especially in the late 2000s, was one of the most gifted touring car drivers in the world. 

Marciello is a former Formula 3 champion and Van der Linde is a three-time winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. 

It is not often that a team manages to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours twice in a row, but it has happened before. #1 ROWE Racing will no doubt hope to repeat this feat again.

The #99 ROWE RACING, as well, can be seen as a serious threat. With Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor, the team has two guns from GT racing. In addition, Dan Harper will be full of confidence after his class victory at the 6 Hours of Imola. Harper and Max Hesse also surprisingly took pole position on the Nordschleife two years ago. 

#84 and #130 Red Bull Team ABT

Both Red Bull Team ABT teams are making a strong impression on paper. The #84 was present during race 2 of the qualifiers last month, finishing second with with drivers Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser.

The #130 is a bit more unknown in the sense that it was not present during the qualifiers. The first name that naturally stands out is that of Nicky Catsburg. The Amersfoort native has emerged as one of the best and most well-known GT drivers over the past 15 years. His resumé includes two wins in the Nürburgring 24 Hours (2020 and 2023).

Nick Yelloly will also be present in the setup and was Catsburg's team-mate in the 2023 edition, coming out on top. In addition, Yelloly also managed to win the LMP2 class at the last edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Definitely someone to be reckoned with.

#911 Manthey Racing

Naturally, the runner-up of the 2025 edition cannot be missing from the list of favourites. The #911 Manthey Racing ran away with pole position last year, but still had to concede at the end of the 24-hour race. Still, Porsche remains the second most successful brand in the history of the 24-hour race, with 13 victories. The last, however, dates back to 2021.

Kevin Estre, Ayhancan Güven and Thomas Preining all know what it's like to win major championships. Estre managed to win the 2024 WEC championship in the hypercar class, while Güven (2025) and Preining (2023) both have DTM titles to their names. 

The question, however, is whether they can break Porsche's five-year drought.