In the end, it was that car – driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin, and starting from P20 – that won the legendary endurance race on the iconic Nordschleife after Verstappen Racing retired with three hours remaining due to a driveshaft failure.

“It was good,” Max explained after his stint on Sunday morning, when Verstappen Racing was still leading. “Back in the daylight, trying to stay safe while still maintaining good pace and staying out of trouble. It felt good, the car was working well.”

Speaking about driving a GT3 car, Max added: “The competition, endurance style racing with team-mates. A 24-hour race, especially here, is incredibly challenging. That whole combination.” Will we see you back here next year? “I will for sure try, but it also depends on my calendar.”

After the last pit stop of both leading Mercs, Verstappen Racing’s Jules Gounon has managed to extend the team’s lead to 28s. The Andorran-French driver then hands over to Lucas Auer. The Austrian settles in for a double stint in which he duels with Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz of the #80 outfit.

After Max took over the car for Verstappen Racing at 2:00 a.m. to commence his second stint in the car, the fight between the Verstappen Racing team and the #80 Mercedes for first place continued for lap after lap. When Max, after a double stint of almost two hours, hands over the keys to teammate Jules Gounon, the lightning fast Dutchman had built the lead to Maxime Martin in the #80 to over 27 seconds.

Three and a half hours into Verstappen Racing’s and Max’s first ever Nurburgring 24 Hour race, the Dutchman heads to the pits with a 23s lead to hand over to Jules Gounon. The entire top six in the race also opt to pit, meaning Gounon emerges from pitlane back in the lead, ahead of the #911 Manthey Racing GmbH.

“My stint went well. I did have some traffic at the start, which was difficult to get through. After that, it was slippery because of the rain and that’s where I was able to make the difference. The car felt good and I tried to stay out of trouble, whilst also trying to push and be on the limit. That’s always a difficult compromise to strike, but it went well.”

The session starts on a dry track, although clouds can be seen all around the 25.3-kilometre-long “Green Hell”. During the first fifteen minutes, Verstappen Racing is not seen on track. Once Gounon heads out, he sets the second fastest time behind the #1 BMW, last year’s race winner.

On Friday afternoon, the twelve fastest GT3 cars prepare to battle for pole position for the 54th edition of the legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring on the famous Nordschleife. Dani Juncadella is on duty for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, after Max Verstappen took part in Top Qualifying 2, and Lucas Auer drove during Top Qualifying 1. A different driver is required for each session.

The final phase, Top Qualifying 3, follows a shoot-out format: all twelve remaining cars are shown the green flag one by one, ensuring everyone has a clear track to complete two flying laps. After some rain, the track has largely dried up, although a few damp patches remain.

“I felt good in the car. Of course, our goal was to get into the Top Qualifying 3. That isn’t an easy task with this level of competition. There are a lot of fast cars, but we managed to do it. The last lap was just fast enough. Luckily it was dry and the car felt good.”

Max also reflected on his first Nordschleife laps in the night. “Yesterday, there were a lot of changing conditions and for me it was the first time in probably the worst circumstances with the rain and fog. But at least it gave me a good idea of what could be coming our way in the race.”

This year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours has attracted heightened interest from spectators. With 161 participating teams, it marks the largest field the event has seen in 10 years. For the first time in the event’s history, weekend tickets have sold out, and an estimated 300,000 spectators are expected around the circuit. Max will compete in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 prepared by Winward Racing, shared with Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer.

Q1 is the first of multiple qualifying sessions that will determine which teams advance to Top Qualifying later in the weekend. Verstappen’s team competes in the SP9 class for GT3 cars, the fastest category in the field. In total, participants are divided across 23 different classes. The SP9 class, together with the SP11, SP-PRO, SP-X, and AT1S classes, will later battle for pole position during the Top Qualifying sessions. For these top classes, the regular qualifying sessions mainly serve as preparation.

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.”

Developed to overcome the limitations of conventional shim dampers, Multimatic DSSV dampers deliver highly precise and repeatable performance. Their force-velocity characteristics are defined by precision-machined spool valves, engineered using hydraulic-based design principles to provide exceptional consistency, strong resistance to cavitation, and minimal sensitivity to operating temperature.

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.