Max Verstappen's team-mate reveals F1 champion wanted to 'fight with everyone' at Nurburgring 24 Hours

Juncadella and Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen's team-mate reveals F1 champion wanted to 'fight with everyone' at Nurburgring 24 Hours

Juncadella revealed an exchange between himself and Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 19 May 2026 21:56

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Dani Juncadella has revealed F1 champion Max Verstappen's instruction to stop him 'fighting with everyone' at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

The Spanish driver teamed up with the four-time champion, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer last weekend to take on the iconic Nurburgring 24 Hours, in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 under the Verstappen Racing banner.

And for 20 hours of the endurance event, it seemed inevitable that the four drivers would lift the winners trophy on Sunday after Verstappen Racing managed to gain a 30-second lead.

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However, as the clock ticked down to three hours, Juncadella was spotted driving into the pits, where the car was ultimately pulled into the garage with a drive shaft issue.

The other Mercedes-AMG, run by Team Ravenol in the No. 80, slipped past them for the lead, and it became quickly apparent that Verstappen would be denied a maiden 24-hour race victory in Germany.

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Juncadella reveals Verstappen's Nurburgring strategy

The No. 80 entry of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin held on to take the chequered flag and Mercedes' first Nurburgring 24 Hours win in a decade, in a day of mixed fortunes for the German marque.

Despite their reliability costing them the race, Juncadella reflected positively on their Nurburgring 24 Hours attempt, labelling it the 'perfect race' from the four drivers in the Verstappen Racing team.

Not only was their advantage down to the calibre of drivers competing in the No. 3 car, but also how the lineup spread themselves strategically throughout the 24-hour race, which was recently outlined by Juncadella.

Speaking to Spanish outlet SoyMotor on their live stream, Juncadella explained that Verstappen asked him to start the 24-hour race, to give them a better chance of succeeding.

He explained: "On Friday night, after qualifying, he [Max] comes up to me and says: 'You better start, because I know myself, and it's 24 hours. First lap, fourth place, I'm going to want to fight with everyone. You start better'."

"That to me is great. Feeling that confidence from him, that he wants me to do the start job."

F1 Max Verstappen Nürburgring 24 Hours of Nurburgring Dani Juncadella