F1 champion Max Verstappen rules out Nurburgring return after 24-hour heartbreak

Credit for photo: Gruppe C x GPFANS — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen rules out Nurburgring return after 24-hour heartbreak

Max Verstappen tells GPFans why he's unlikely to get back on the Green Hell this year

By Jan Bolscher.

Monday 15 June 2026 09:57

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has indicated that he won't be able to make any further appearances in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie in 2026.

The Red Bull star has swapped his Red Bull F1 car for GT3 machinery on three occasions so far this year, winning the NLS2 race before his team were disqualified for exceeding the maximum tyre allowance.

And the heartbreak didn't stop there. When the Dutchman and his Verstappen Racing team-mates took to the iconic German track for the Nurburgring 24 Hours last month, they had to watch a race win slip away from them after being struck down by a technical issue in the final hours.

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If any Verstappen fans are wondering when they will finally get to see him tackle the Green Hell again, he has finally provided an update to GPFans.

Over the past few months, he has showcased his skills at the iconic Nurburgring with his very own GT3 team. In March he competed in NLS2 and then in April at NLS5, all in preparation for his participation in the legendary 24 Hours of the Nurburgring held last May. Although Verstappen clearly relished the German circuit’s challenges, no new chapter is on the horizon for him at this famed track.

Verstappen unlikely to make Nurburgring 2026 return

His only remaining opportunity to race at the Nurburgring comes with the NLS7 event, the KW 6h ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen scheduled for August 1. However, this is the sole event that doesn’t conflict with the F1 calendar, and even then, Verstappen is not considering it.

"Unfortunately, it coincides with the GT World Challenge, so it simply isn’t happening," he explained when asked by GPFans in the Barcelona Grand Prix paddock.

During that weekend, his team - Verstappen Racing - will be competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup. As a result, regular drivers Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer won’t be available to team up, cementing the clash in schedules.

F1 Max Verstappen Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife