Verstappen suggests Red Bull Le Mans entry

Max Verstappen has played down the chances of racing in the Adrian Newey-designed Aston Martin Valkyrie at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

But the Dutchman has revealed his hope that Red Bull could send its anticipated RB17, another Newey-designed Hypercar, to the World Endurance Championship in the future.

Verstappen has never been shy to profess his desire to take part in Le Mans, having competed in the virtual running alongside his Team Redline teammates in recent years.

Aston Martin announced its entry into the Hypercar class ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix weekend - where Verstappen can secure his third F1 World Championship - and will join the likes of Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche and Peugeot, among others, on what is a tantalising grid.

Proper preparation

Asked if he could envisage a tilt with the Valkyrie at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Verstappen told media including RacingNews365: "I definitely will do Le Mans, but it needs to all come together.

"I don't want to just rock up there and be filling up the field. If I enter, I want to have a good preparation and I want to be able to win.

"There is, of course, BoP [balance of performance] which is always a bit tough but I at least want to be competitive, so it has to be a proper preparation and for sure, if it is possible, maybe with the RB17.

"But it is great, I think it is great for the sport that they are going there with the Valkyrie.

"It is an amazing car and a V12 engine is going to sound incredible. So very happy that they will do it, I will be watching and maybe Fernando will be driving the car anyway, so it is going to be great."