Max Verstappen isn’t just flirting with the Nürburgring 24 Hours anymore — he’s actively trying to make it happen, and the calendar has quietly tilted in his favour.
Speaking in Bahrain on Thursday, Verstappen confirmed he’s working on an entry for the May endurance classic at the Nordschleife, with the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie’s schedule change now making a meaningful difference to the practicality of the plan. What used to be a straight clash with Formula 1’s Japanese Grand Prix weekend has been reshuffled, with NLS round two brought forward by a week. That opens the door to exactly what Verstappen says he wants: a proper rehearsal before committing to 24 hours around the Green Hell.
“Looking at it now, at least, you can drive flat out there without looking after my battery,” Verstappen said, unable to resist a jab at the new F1 era. “I want to do it. We are working on it to make it happen but I cannot confirm it yet.”
That line — part tease, part warning shot — tells you a lot about where his head is at as Formula 1’s 2026 regulations begin to define the rhythm of racing. Verstappen has been blunt about his concerns over the energy-saving techniques required, and the Nürburgring reference wasn’t accidental. This is a driver who still measures “racing” by how often you’re allowed to lean on the car, not how cleanly you can hit targets on a dash.
But there’s also a practical logic to the Nürburgring plan that goes beyond the theatre of him turning up and breaking the internet. Verstappen openly admitted he doesn’t want to arrive at a 24-hour race cold — especially not on a circuit as procedural as it is punishing.
“It’s great, of course, from the organisers that they change the date, because I think if I do it [the 24hr race], of course, I need one race of preparation, compared to guys that have been doing it for a while and have a bit more experience,” he said.
“Also, for me, doing it in a new car that I’ve not driven there at the Nordschleife, I think you need a race just to learn the procedures.”
And that’s the bit that tends to get lost amid the Verstappen-to-anywhere speculation: endurance racing isn’t a glamour side quest when you’re taking it seriously. Driver changes, pit stops, stint rhythm, code-60 discipline, traffic management in mixed classes — those aren’t details you wing because you’re quick in an F1 car. Verstappen knows he’d be stepping into someone else’s world.
“Even for me, doing a pit stop, doing a driver change, I normally don’t do that,” he added. “So all these little things, I just want to prepare well for them, potentially participating in the 24 hour race.”
The schedule shift, then, looks less like a courtesy and more like a recognition of what Verstappen’s presence does for the series — and for whichever manufacturer is attached to him that weekend. Rumours in the paddock have swirled that Toto Wolff was one of the figures pushing to move the NLS date, but the Mercedes boss insisted he wasn’t personally involved, even if Mercedes-AMG was.
“It wasn’t me personally,” Wolff said. “It was AMG together with the NLS organisers. I mean, it’s an obvious benefit for all the participants and for the series.”
Wolff didn’t claim to have the exact figures to hand, but he painted a familiar picture: Verstappen turns niche racing into must-watch content overnight.
“I don’t know the figures I heard, I can’t remember them, but between a normal NLS round, we have 100 times more spectators on YouTube with Max participating than otherwise,” he said. “You know the numbers? It was like 10,000 to 750,000 or something crazy, you need to read it up.
“So it’s a no-brainer to change it, and I think it’s great for the 24 hours, for the fans to have Max there, and obviously driving a Mercedes is something we enjoy.”
That last line is doing plenty of work, and it’ll be heard loudly up and down the pitlane. Even without over-reading it, the subtext is obvious: if Verstappen is serious about expanding his racing life beyond Formula 1, there are major players more than happy to accommodate him — and, if possible, associate their badge with his name.
For now, Verstappen isn’t confirming anything beyond intent. But the ingredients are aligning: the NLS date no longer blocks a warm-up, he’s openly talking about the preparation required, and the commercial pull is so strong that organisers and manufacturers have clear motivation to make the logistics painless.
Whether it becomes a one-off bucket-list entry or the start of something bigger is the part nobody can yet answer — not even Verstappen. What’s clear is that, while Formula 1 tries to sell a new era, its most uncompromising racer is already scanning the horizon for places where “flat out” is still the default setting.
