Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff fights for Max Verstappen as race postponement request issued

Max Verstappen

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fights for Max Verstappen as race postponement request issued

Verstappen has a jam-packed schedule in 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 18 January 2026 21:14

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has reportedly played a role in fighting for Max Verstappen to be able to make his debut in an iconic race in 2026.

The Dutchman will return to the F1 grid in less than two months for the opening round of the 2026 season, when the number 3 will be plastered on his car after he failed to retain the drivers' title in 2025.

The No.1 accolade will instead be handed over to reigning champion Lando Norris when all 22 drivers make their competitive debut in the first cars to be built under F1's new technical regulations.

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The 2026 calendar is jam-packed and will kick off with back-to-back grands prix in Australia and China, though the schedule could cause some headache for Verstappen.

The 28-year-old recently committed himself to Red Bull after rumours of an interest in the champion from rivals Mercedes, but Verstappen has maintained that as things stand, a team switch before his contract expires in 2028 would be unlikely.

But there is one thing he is entertaining—the chance to compete in this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours.

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According to Motorsport-Total.com, Mercedes-AMG has made an official request to the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) to postpone the NLS1 race date, as that is now the only thing standing in the way of Verstappen's Nurburgring 24 Hours entry.

The Mercedes-AMG team Winward, already announced their intention to compete in six races of the NLS this year, including the classic 24-hour endurance event, but now discussions are ongoing over another entry which could allow Verstappen to make his debut in the classic race.

Both Red Bull and Mercedes are understood to have given the go-ahead of Verstappen's return to the Nurburgring, but all three NLS races and the qualifiers before the 24-hour event currently clash with the F1 calendar.

The report from Motorsport-Total.com read: "Mercedes is making efforts at the highest level: even Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius and motorsport boss Toto Wolff are said to have advocated postponing the season opener of the Nurburgring Endurance Series because of Verstappen, as it currently clashes with the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai."

NLS boss Mike Jager denied rumours the series schedule has already been amended, and was quoted as saying: "The request for a possible postponement has now been submitted, but nothing more than that."

If NLS1 was to be postponed, it will likely be by a single week, moving the first race of the season to March 21, slotting in nicely between the Chinese and Japan grands prix.

"We are currently looking into this, but nothing has been decided yet... "It has to suit everyone," Jager continued.

Even though a definitive green light is yet to be given to Verstappen, he is still making sure to prepare accordingly.

Just this week he got further mileage under his belt in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Portimao, getting used to the car once more with 2 seas motorsport right up until he was required to travel to Detroit for Red Bull's 2026 car launch.

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