American fans fury after Nurburgring 24 hour race stream blocked - here's why

Jules Gounon, Verstappen Racing, Dacia Logan, Nurburgring, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Nurburgring 24 Hours

American fans fury after Nurburgring 24 hour race stream blocked - here's why

There were some problems watching the Nurburgring 24 Hours across the pond

By Sheona Mountford.

Monday 18 May 2026 17:00

Fans across the United States and Canada voiced frustration after struggling to find coverage of the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours, which featured Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen competing this weekend.

Verstappen and the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG entry had been running comfortably at the front as the famous endurance race entered Sunday, before disaster struck late in the event. Dani Juncadella was forced to bring the car back to the pits and into the garage with just over three hours remaining.

The team later confirmed that a problem with an ABS sensor caused severe vibrations, eventually leading to a broken driveshaft. The mechanical failure ended the race for Verstappen, Juncadella, Lucas Auer, and Jules Gounon, crushing their hopes of taking victory.

Article continues under video

This late drama was denied to some viewers in North America, however, who complained that they were unable to watch the action unfold at the Nurburgring this weekend.

North American fans upset to miss Nurburgring 24 Hours

Taking to X in a post that has since garnered over 5,000 likes, Shopify CEO Tobias Lutke wrote: "Why on earth is the Nurburgring 24h geoblocked on YouTube for US and Canada? What is the point?"

Then they revealed they were confronted with the message: "Please subscribe to RACER+."

Various fans pointed to the fact that the Racer Network had the rights to show the Nurburgring 24 Hours in the region, with Racer themselves advertising the live race on their Racer+ network.

The 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours has seen unprecedented interest thanks to the Verstappen-effect, with the event attendance sitting at 352,000 spectators, a new attendance record.

Max Verstappen Nürburgring 24 Hours of Nurburgring