The 24h Nürburgring is marking a totally new challenge for Max. It is one of endurance racing’s toughest tests and it is Max’s first crack at the 24-hour format and at this level. The four-time F1 world champion’s own team, Verstappen Racing, fields a Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Team Winward Racing, with co-drivers Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer.

“What the team mainly represents is also creating opportunities for other drivers”, says Max. “I started with an idea in mind of racing outside of Formula 1 myself, but at the same time – through the sim racing world – I wanted to create opportunities for a sim racer to go to the real world. That already worked with Chris (Lulham) so far.”

Max continues: “One of the biggest races of the year is of course the 24 hours of the Nürburgring, that’s why we are here. We are entering with a pro lineup and with myself in the lineup, that is really cool. It's also something I want to do every single year, with one car or multiple cars. The main objective and goal is to win races.”

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Kimi Antonelli had to work hard but ultimately converted his pole position, finishing ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was on course for a podium for a long time, but a spin on the penultimate lap dropped him back to P6.

 This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix in the best conditions and to prioritise the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff.

Mekies continued: “Max’s performance today was really strong and he was fighting for pole during qualifying. With Isack, we're not yet in the position where he can really push the car but it was also a good effort from him. We don’t think we have fixed everything we need to fix, but we are certainly heading in the right direction based on what we have seen this weekend. We know we need more of that and we will take take all the opportunities tomorrow to keep improving.”

“For me, it has been two things,” Max says after qualifying. “I didn't feel comfortable with the car, and over the past few weeks the team has pushed flat out to bring upgrades to the car and make me feel more comfortable with a lot of things on the car, and it really pays off. I feel more in control of the car again, so I can push harder. The upgrades are working, and being on the front row here is much better than I expected heading into this weekend.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Max adds: “Let’s first start with a good start, I haven’t had a lot of them this year. We’ll definitely look at that and see what the weather does tomorrow, but I’m already very happy with where we are. From here, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We can push on and try to close the gap further.”

“We were at least racing the cars ahead of us again, so that was good,” Max said after the Miami sprint. “At the start we had the same issue as in China, that still wasn’t right. And coming out of the final corner on lap one I had no boost, so something went wrong there as well, and that’s why I lost that position to Lewis.”

Max continued: “After that I just drove my race and managed to close back in once I’d resolved the engine setting issues. From that point it looked alright, but I still have the problem with the rear of the car, where it bounces a lot. Especially in the slower corners, when the car bounces like that, the wheels lose contact with the ground and that costs lap time. It’s good that we’re fighting the Mercedes cars ahead again, because that’s what it’s all about. That part was good.”

Lambiase continued: “We have got on top of, not only generic performance, but also some more fundamental issues with the car that we had and Max is feeling extremely comfortable and that reflected in his performance today. Overall, it has been a very good day and a positive start but we won’t stop there, we will look to build on that overnight.”

After qualifying, Max shared some thoughts on the strides the RB22 has taken over the break: “It feels more together. Of course, there are still things we are working on, but it’s been a really positive step for us. The last few races, we were almost a second behind. We are almost half that gap now, so that’s positive. We are still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly high speed, so we know that we need to work on that. But yes, the rest seems a bit more together, so I’m a bit happier with that. We’ve cleared the midfield. It’s still not where I want it to be, but it’s allowing me to trust it a bit more.”

“It was a great break, I wish it lasted longer”, smiles Max as he addresses the media in the Miami paddock. “It was great to race in different series, and I really enjoyed my time at home. But even with a break like this, it feels great to be back. I like being in Miami, it’s one of my favourite places in the world.”

After a challenging start to the 2026 season, although hopeful, Max remains realistic. “The team has really pushed to understand our problems and work on improvements. Hopefully we can be closer to our competitors and escape the midfield battle.”

This weekend, Verstappen competes alongside a new co-driver, Jasper Vermeulen, in the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 prepared by Sarrazin Motorsport. Longtime-teammate Renaud Jamoul broke his ankle earlier this week and was deemed unable to participate. “Despite being determined to still get into the car, I had to undergo surgery because my ankle was broken in two places,” the unfortunate Belgian announced on the eve of the event.

This weekend the first round will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Thierry said: “It’s time to kick off the DTM season with the first round this weekend at the Red Bull Ring, the track where we had the pre-season test a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a long pre-season and we’ve done a lot of testing given that we have a new car with the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, which has a new aero package and new suspension. So there was plenty to explore and hopefully we can squeeze even more out of it.”

“In the second lap of my second stint, I realised something was wrong as the front splitter was broken”, said Max after the four-hour race. “It’s odd, because I didn’t touch anyone, so we’ll have to investigate what caused this and find a solution.”

Despite the disappointing result, it was beneficial afternoon for Max. “I had fun and the car felt good, so I’m happy with that. I also managed to do my stints, in traffic as well, which was pretty intense. I had fights with other GT3 cars, so it was good preparation for the 24h race. I’m as ready as I can be. The only things I haven’t done is drive in the dark.”

The other six drivers involved in the crash were examined in the medical center and transported to nearby hospitals, but none are reportedly in critical condition. The organizers announced Saturday’s race would not be resumed, and that Sunday’s race would observe a minute’s silence in memory of Miettinen.

Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Miettinen’s bereaved family, friends, and loved ones. On behalf of Verstappen.com, we wish everyone affected strength during this difficult time.

Update: Following qualifying, Auer had to report to the stewards due to contacting with the #941 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, causing the car to spin. The team received a three-place grid penalty, so Verstappen Racing will start the race from ninth position.

Qualifying for the race began at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and was scheduled to last 90 minutes. About 20 minutes into the session, it was red-flagged following a heavy crash from driver Anders Buchard, who hit the guardrail at high speed in his Aston Marton in the infamous Adenauer Forest section. The session was halted for around 50 minutes to allow for repairs to the barriers. Thankfully for the remaining teams, the clock was stopped during the interruption.

The Friday is the calm before the storm with the drivers able to drive in a 2.5-hour practice session. Verstappen Racing had a session without issues and will now focus on qualifying on Saturday morning (8.30-10.00 local time) which will determine the grid for race 1 (17.30-21.30) later on the day.

Sunday will feature qualifying for the second race of the weekend. An initial qualifying will start at 8.15 until 9.45, before a session later in the morning with the fastest drivers will set the final grid ahead of the race start at 1pm.

Jos explains: “We tested and the Skoda simply feels more comfortable. We’ve always had strong results with Skoda and we have a lot of information and data on the Belgian rallies, so that’s why.”

Ahead of the start, Jos said: “It’s a tricky rally because of the different types of asphalt, which means varying levels of grip. It will be a matter of finding our rhythm at the beginning. I expect it to be very close, and it will come down to the form of the day. The competition has a bit more experience here than I do, as they’ve driven here more often. We want to perform well. It will be important to stay focused and avoid mistakes.”

“It was a bit like yesterday”, said Max after a challenging session. “We had issues with the aero and I couldn’t attack a single corner. We had a lot of oversteer into the corner but than in the middle of the corner the car wouldn’t turn. It’s weird and I don’t really know what to make of it. The bad thing is that I’m not even angry any more, I’m past that stage.”

Although the pace has not been there throughout the weekend, FP3 appeared to be a slight improvement. “The car was more stable at the rear but there was still a lot of understeer, but in quali the car keeps stepping out into the high-speed corners. In the middle of the corner, it turns into understeer. We have a lot of problems and it changes what the issue is.”

Ahead of the Sunday’s Grand Prix, Max remains realistic about the issues he has had with the starts thus far in 2026. “The car doesn’t stall, but the starts are still very bad.”

“Yeah (the session) was not very good, to be honest.” Max shared truthfully after the training. “We struggled a lot more with balance of the car and grip. From our side there's a lot of work to be done, also to understand why we’re having a lot of problems. We need to work (on that), I don’t think it’s an easy fix overnight.”

When the lights at the end of the pit lane turn green, it is Nico Hülkenberg who is first out on track. That is not immediately the case for team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto, who struggles to get his Audi moving. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso sits out the session, with reserve driver Jak Crawford taking his place for FP1. Tyre supplier Pirelli has brought the three hardest compounds this weekend, as Suzuka is particularly demanding on tyres.

Founded in 2000 by Dom Duhan, Team Redline has established itself as the most successful sim racing team in the world, winning championships across the sport’s most competitive platforms, including back-to-back Esports World Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, PESC champions in 2022, 2024, and 2025, and the 2025 IMSA Esports Global Championship GTP title with BMW.

“For me, this whole weekend has been about getting to grips with the car on the Nordschleife. Which yes, it was super enjoyable,” says Max, reflecting on his second Nordschleife win. “The team also prepared the car really well, so we could do some decent testing. They made me feel really comfortable with the car. So yeah, really good experience for me.”

Max elaborated: “This whole venue is, of course, amazing. Also to see all the fans, and just how passionate they are about racing and the cars here – it’s always fantastic to see, and I’m happy to be a part of that. For me this is one of the craziest tracks in the world... in a good way! I’ve been watching this for a very long time, and it’s one of these races that you just want to compete in. And at least finally this year I have the chance to do it.”

In the Mercedes-AMG GT3-car, Max clocked a best lap of 7:51.751 on the 24 km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, finishing two seconds clear of his nearest competitors – the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II from Scherer Sport PHX, and the BMW M4 GT3 Evo from Rowe Racing op P3.

In 2025, Max claimed victory in NLS9 together with Chris Lulham, having earlier secured his Nordschleife permit. He quickly adapted to the challenges of GT3 racing, including traffic, changing conditions and long runs. In 2026, he builds on that experience with NLS2, which forms part of a broader programme.

Under the Verstappen Racing banner, in collaboration with Winward Racing and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, the programme includes several rounds of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, with the highlight being the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in mid-May.

“We had problems with the ERS cooling”, said Max after the race, in which he endured another difficult start. “I always drop to last, so I might as well start from the back. It was just a difficult race with a lot of things going wrong. The car didn’t feel good, no balance, high tyre deg. There was also something wrong with the steering wheel, so there’s a whole list of things. I’m not even sure how I made it to sixth.”

Nevertheless, Max enjoyed seeing Kimi Antonelli clinch his first win. “Those are great moments. I’m really happy for him. It always takes away a bit of pressure when you win your first race and it won’t be his last. He’s a great guy; we get along great and he’s very enthusiastic about my GT3 program. He wants to drive together, so we’ll see what happens in the future. He has to focus on F1 now. His car is a rocket so he will be able to win more this season. We’ll have enough time to do other things in the future.”

On the topic of GT3, Max will contest the NLS2 race next weekend at the Nordschleife. “We’ll head there on Thursday evening and test on Friday. We’ll work on some stuff and for me it’s an opportunity to get up speed. In the race we’ll gather experience to get the car in the right window for the 24-hour race, that’s what it’s all about.”

“We’ve already made positive steps to improve energy management and have made improvements on the chassis side based on what we learned from Australia. We are making progress, but we are not quite there yet. Tomorrow’s sessions will bring major learnings to help us get closer to where we would like to be.”

“The whole day has been a disaster, pace-wise,” Max says after the qualifying session ahead of the sprint race. “No grip, and I think that’s the biggest problem, no grip and no balance. We’re losing massive amounts of time in the corners, and because of that, you start triggering other little problems. But the big problem for us is the cornering, it’s completely off.”

Max continues: “At the moment I don’t know what we can do, but we’ll see.”

Ahead of the start of the session, conditions are rather chilly, with an air temperature of twelve degrees and no rain expected. The track temperature is just fourteen degrees, which does little to help grip levels. With a sprint race scheduled for Saturday morning, the sole practice session is particularly important. Any reliability issues at this stage could have significant consequences for the remainder of the weekend. When the lights at the end of the pit lane turn green, the track quickly becomes busy. Both Haas cars are the first to head out.