F1 champion Max Verstappen series switch confirmed as Red Bull star heads Nurburgring entry list

Verstappen smirking in a Verstappen.com jacket during his gt appearance at the Nurburgring — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen series switch confirmed as F1 champion heads Nurburgring entry list

Max Verstappen is heading to the Nurburgring once again

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 18 March 2026 21:55 Updated: 00:11

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Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen is switching Red Bull for Mercedes and F1 for GT Racing this weekend, for the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis.

The entry list for the race - which is nicknamed the 'green hell' - has been released, with Verstappen top of the billing alongside team-mates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

Verstappen will drive the number three Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing AMG GT3 EVO in the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), as his team prepare for their 2026 entry into the pro class of the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe.

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Verstappen's friend Chris Lulham is completing the driver lineup alongside Juncadella and Gounon for their entry into the upper class in April following the team's Gold Cup success last year, but Verstappen is also stepping into the car at select races, including the 24 hours of Nurburgring in May.

And he is also competing this weekend in the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis as F1 takes a week-long break before the Japanese GP.

Verstappen has been confirmed on the 136-car entry list for the race in what will be his first race aboard the AMG GT3 EVO, after Verstappen Racing switched to Mercedes machinery for 2026.

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Who are Verstappen's team-mates this weekend?

Verstappen is swapping Isack Hadjar for two different team-mates in Germany this weekend, with Juncadella and Gounon joining him in his pursuit of the race victory.

Juncadella is an Aston Martin F1 simulator driver who has already enjoyed considerable success with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Gounon is one of the best GT3 drivers of all time.

It means that the Gold Cup-winning partnership of Lulham, Thierry Vermeulen and Harry King has been split up, although Lulham will be returning when the GT World Challenge Europe campaign begins in April.

The race this weekend will likely be a welcome distraction for Verstappen, who has suffered a dismal start to the 2026 F1 season, only picking up eight points from the first two race weekends of the year.