Max Verstappen 'looking into' future Nurburgring races after F1 cancellations

F1 superstar Max Verstappen has confirmed he is doing everything he can to make a return to the Nurburgring possible in just a few weeks time.

The four-time champion took a break from his tiresome Red Bull F1 machinery on Saturday to put on an exciting comeback show, taking on the Nurburgring once again after winning on debut at the iconic circuit last September.

Having battled against the regulations overhaul during the two opening rounds of the F1 championship, Verstappen described the experience of driving his new RB22 as 'emotionally draining'.

But his stint in the Mercedes-AMG this weekend could not have been more different when he once again tackled the Green Hell.

The Dutchman delighted the German fans by claiming pole position in the No.3 Mercedes-AMG, which he shared on Saturday with team-mates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

The trio then went on to win the NLS2, which marked the opening round of the campaign after the first race of the season was cancelled due to freezing conditions.

UPDATE: Though Verstappen initially stormed to victory in the Mercedes-AMG in Saturday's race, he and the Winward Mercedes-AMG team were later disqualified just hours after the NLS2 had concluded. Read the full update here.

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Will Max Verstappen be competing in more races at the Nurburgring?

As Verstappen's preparations for the legendary Nurburgring 24 Hours in May continue to ramp up, the 28-year-old has provided an update on whether he will be returning to the track to get further running in throughout the NLS 2026 calendar.

Previously, Verstappen would have been unable to compete in the upcoming rounds in Germany as a result of the jam-packed F1 calendar.

In fact, the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) even moved this weekend's race just so the Dutchman would be available to compete, having proven his popularity and marketability when winning at the track last year.

And as ongoing conflict continues to rage on in the Middle East, F1 has now confirmed neither the Bahrain or the Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will be going ahead next month, with both weekends now free for Verstappen to race on the Nurburgring should he wish to.

When asked during last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix whether he would be competing in the NLS qualifier should the April F1 races be cancelled, Verstappen replied: "Well, I mean, this was of course already planned regardless of what I’m driving this year. Yeah, I mean, I wish I had a bit more fun at the moment, of course, here, but at the same time I’m also very happy that the team here they let me do all these things, and yeah, it’s just something that I’m of course looking forward to.

"And besides that, if something happens with the calendar, I’ll have a look what’s possible."

Verstappen gives update on upcoming Nurburgring race participation

Now that the third and fourth F1 championship rounds have been cancelled, Verstappen provided an update on his future racing plans in Germany after winning the NLS2 on Saturday.

Speaking after his second Nurburgring race, Verstappen confirmed: “I’ve been watching this for a very long time and it’s one of these races that you just want to compete in and at least finally this year I have the chance to do it, it also depends a bit of course on what the calendar allows me to do, I’m already racing a lot.

“I’ll try to do as much as I can.”

Probed further on the chance that the German crowds could be welcoming Verstappen back to the iconic circuit in just three weeks, the F1 champion revealed: “We’re looking into it. It just all depends on if it’s all feasible but I mean I’m always happy to race here.”

In place of the Bahrain GP weekend, which was set to run between April 10 and April 12, Verstappen could theoretically take part in the NLS3, on Saturday, April 11.

Should he then wish to compete in the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers, he is now free to do so between April 18 and April 19, which would have clashed with the Saudi Arabian GP if it had not been cancelled.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen Nurburgring Results: NLS2 Race times and positions

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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