Nurburgring 24 Hours: Max Verstappen effect overwhelms rival after 'formidable' battle

Haase and Verstappen battling in NLS2 — Photo: © IMAGO

Nurburgring 24 Hours

Max Verstappen effect overwhelms Nurburgring rival after 'formidable' battle

Verstappen is a formidable opponent

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 16 May 2026 11:16

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The Max Verstappen-effect is in full swing at the Nurburgring with the F1 champion ensuring extra eyeballs are on the 24 Hours race in 2026.

Verstappen's presence at the iconic race has helped make it a sellout weekend for the event, the first time this has happened in its 56-year history; and Verstappen has also had a positive impact on his rivals.

Christopher Haase has become a household name amongst Verstappen’s fans after the Audi driver from Scherer Sport PHX squared off against the four-time world champion during the NLS2 round in March.

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He repeated the challenge during the 24h Qualifiers in April and now, as he gears up for this weekend’s ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring, his sights are firmly set on victory.

Scherer Sport PHX boasts an impressive history with seven wins at this event and Haase aims to notch up an eighth triumph, backed by Britons Ben Green and Alexander Sims.

While he faces stiff competition from rivals like Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Haase is particularly excited about going head-to-head with the F1 legend himself.

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Watch Top Qualifying LIVE and free today

Verstappen has been good for Haase

Speaking to GPFans and other media at the Nurburgring, Haase explained: "Our Audi R8 has set records here.

"The car is developed to perfection, refined down to every detail, which means there’s little room to make it even faster, something that can sometimes work against us.

"Nevertheless, Scherer Sport PHX is constantly working to shave off precious milliseconds from race to race. While the conditions this weekend may not play entirely in Audi’s favour, our goal remains a win."

Even though Scherer Sport PHX celebrated a victory as recently as 2024, Haase considers his team the underdog.

"We definitely feel less pressure now that we’re no longer an official factory team,” he remarked, noting that official factory support for GT3-Audi ended when the marque shifted its focus to Formula 1.

“Thanks to my two duels with Max Verstappen, my name has become even more widely known - something I hadn’t fully realised at the time,” Haase continued.

"Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much about the duel itself back then. It was simply an exhilarating race against a formidable opponent that I thoroughly enjoyed. It wasn’t until I saw the overwhelmingly positive feedback that I recognised how special those battles truly were.

"In the moment, it was just another race without reflecting too much on his name or past achievements. I’ve spent twenty years in motorsport and seen so much, yet I’m incredibly proud to have had the chance to compete against Max in those memorable encounters.”

Nurburgring 24 Hours: Full schedule with session times for this weekend

Max Verstappen Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife 24 Hours of Nurburgring