Follow us on

News

Max Verstappen is already planning another 24-hour race if his F1 schedule allows

Follow us on Google Discover

Max Verstappen says he’s keen to have another attempt at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2027.

Verstappen was on course for a stunning victory on his debut before teammate Daniel Juncadella encountered a driveshaft problem with around four hours remaining. The subsequent delays in the garage saw the team tumble down the order.

Juncadella was able to return to the circuit before the chequered flag, but the failure had long since ended any hope of a strong result. Verstappen.com Racing said they were ‘absolutely gutted’ by the outcome.

Do you want to see Max Verstappen attempt the 24 Hours of Nurburging again?

Team Verstappen finished 38th after a driveshaft issue cost them the lead!

Max Verstappen looks on before his appearance at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring
Photo by Jack Brekelmans/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Max Verstappen will ‘try’ to race in Nurburgring 24 Hours again

Speaking in the garage before the team’s race fell apart, Verstappen was asked if he had fallen in love with the event and whether he was considering another attempt.

“Of course,” Verstappen told the assembled reporters, including Viaplay. “I mean, I’ll for sure try. It always depends a bit on my schedule, but let’s first enjoy now.”

Over 350,000 spectators attended over the weekend, demolishing the previous record of 280,000. Almost all of this can be attributed to the ‘Verstappen effect’.

Is this the best overtake you’ve seen all season? 🤯

Max Verstappen passed the #47 Mercedes of Jesse Krohn on the grass at the Nurburgring!

But Verstappen was also fortunate that there was no F1 race this weekend, with the event falling in a three-week gap between Miami and Canada. The unexpectedly empty April schedule also allowed for additional preparation.

The 2027 F1 calendar hasn’t been released yet, but based on last year (when it was announced in June), it should arrive in the coming weeks.

‘Motorsport can be brutal’ – Daniel Juncadella breaks down failure that cost Max Verstappen

Juncadella was already dealing with an ABS issue when he started hearing ominous ‘noises’ in the cockpit. He felt the car was ‘about to break’ when he pulled into the pits.

Verstappen made contact with Maro Engel in the sister Mercedes during the night session, but a philosophical Juncadella said it was pure misfortune.

Verstappen’s rivals at Porsche, Ford, BMW, Audi and Ferrari also saw their races spoiled by accidents or car issues.

“After another lap, I started hearing noises in the car, near the driveshaft and the gearbox, and it got worse and worse,” Juncadella explained, via RacingNews365. “At one point, the car just felt very loose, as if something was completely loose and about to break off.”

“I then drove slowly back to the pits, and there we discovered that the driveshaft had broken. That is motorsport; sometimes things just happen that way.

“No, I think it is completely unrelated to any kind of incident whatsoever. It is just something that happens sometimes. Motorsport can be brutal, and that is simply part of the game. Sometimes there are just some things you don’t have control over, and unfortunately, that is how it turned out for us.”