Nurburgring 24 Hours concerns raised as Max Verstappen entry triggers chaos

Sky Sports F1 pundit and racing driver Naomi Schiff has revealed concerns surrounding this weekend's Nürburgring 24 Hours following the entry of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen will make his 24-hour debut this weekend in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 and is targeting victory, with his entry having triggered global interest in the event.

For the first time in the race's history, it is sold out, with the number of entries having also been increased.

With more cars on track, Schiff's friends who are entering the race themselves have raised concerns over an increase in crashes, while the volume of fans in attendance will test the Nordschleife's facilities.

Verstappen has received widespread praise for the interest he has brought to the iconic circuit and GT racing in general, although the concerns cannot be overlooked.

Discussing this weekend's race being sold out, Schiff said on the Up to Speed podcast: "I'm surprised that there are more people than ever. I mean, obviously this has got to do with the Max effect.

"But I've chatted to a few of my friends who are also racing, and the general sentiment is that they're all very happy that Max is there and that he's bringing more attention to GT racing.

"I think there are a few concerns regarding how many people are going to be attending and what that means for the facilities. Like, can they handle that many people?

"And on top of that, there are more cars on track this year, and the weather is set to be very challenging, so they're worried about plenty of shunting, really."