Max Verstappen reveals Nurburgring fear he can't prepare for

Verstappen at the Nurburgring — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen at the Nurburgring

Max Verstappen reveals Nurburgring fear he can't prepare for

Max Verstappen admits there is something he can't control at the Nurburgring for now

By Vincent Bruins.

Sunday 19 April 2026 20:11

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Max Verstappen admits he is still lacking everything he needs to compete in the Nurburgring 24-hour race in May after an eventful weekend for the Dutchman behind his Mercedes at the Nordschleife.

On Sunday’s four-hour session, Verstappen began the race in P5, with Lucas Auer having secured Top Qualifying.

He quickly battled his way toward second and engaged in an exciting duel with Scherer Sport PHX-Audi’s Christopher Haase.

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The four-time world champion eventually built up a led of nearly 30 seconds thanks to a faster pit stop. A subsequent pit stop 38 minutes later, necessitated by a broken splitter that took 28 minutes to repair, ultimately dropped him to 39th place and out of contention.

Max Verstappen lacks night driving racing

Despite the poor result though, Verstappen admitted he had enjoyed his time out on track on Sunday.

“I had a blast today. The car felt excellent, which is something I’m really pleased about,” Verstappen said after the session.

“I managed to put in some solid stints even with heavy traffic, which led to some intense battles with fellow GT3 competitors.

"In that sense, it was a great build-up for the 24-hour race. My only shortfall is that I haven’t experienced driving at night yet. I can’t really ask for more in terms of preparation.”

The race scheduled for Saturday evening was cancelled after a serious accident resulting in the deeply sad death of Juha Miettinen.

In May, during the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, Verstappen will face night driving as he takes on multiple stints in the dark.