Max Verstappen has said he plans to return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in the future after late reliability issues with his car cost him his chance of winning the iconic race in Germany.
Verstappen and his teammates Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer were leading until a driveshaft problem in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 put them out of contention with 3 hours and 20 minutes remaining.
Juncadella returned the car to the garage, but the team needed most of the remainder of the race to fix damage caused by heavy vibrations to allow them to complete one final lap at the end of the event.
The Nurburgring 24 Hours has been a big target for Verstappen outside of Formula 1 this year as he looks to continue his achievements outside of F1, having previously mentioned the Le Mans 24 Hours as another ambition.
“I love the competition and endurance style racing that I share with my teammates,” said Verstappen.
“A 24-hour race here… the track is very challenging, so I (enjoy) the whole combination.”
When asked if he would return to racing next year, he said: “I will definitely try. It’s always a little different depending on my schedule.”
Max Verstappen debuts at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (Red Bull Content Pool).
The Nürburgring 24 Hours is one of the world’s largest endurance races. This year, 161 cars took part in the 15.769-mile circuit that three-time F1 world champion Jackie Stewart once called “The Green Hell”.
There were 23 different car classes underway and Verstappen’s team raced in the top class featuring the fastest cars, including several Mercedes-AMG GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 R, BMW M4 GT3, Ferrari 296 GT3 and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 cars.
Verstappen played a pivotal role in putting his car into the lead with an impressively bold overtake in the first race on Saturday afternoon, setting up a thrilling battle with the sister #80 Mercedes that won the race throughout the night and into Sunday morning.
Max Verstappen put in an impressive performance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours (Red Bull Content Pool).
Several GT3 drivers in the category Verstappen was racing praised the Dutchman’s abilities through traffic.
Verstappen said after his last race: “My performance was good, during the day I tried to keep a good pace and stay safe.
“The car ran fine and I tried to stay out of trouble.”
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