Max Verstappen racing at Nurburgring 24 Hours: how to watch live, start time and weather

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Max Verstappen will make his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut this weekend as the four-time Formula 1 world champion takes on one of motorsport’s toughest endurance races. Here’s everything you need to know, including qualifying and race times.

Verstappen has spent the past year preparing for his first appearance in the legendary event, making six outings at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife across the last 12 months. The Red Bull star first competed in GT3 machinery in 2023, claiming victory on his debut weekend with Emil Frey Racing.

The 27-year-old will continue to expand his endurance racing programme this weekend after openly criticising Formula 1’s current regulations. Verstappen will race alongside Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer in a Red Bull-backed Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

If Verstappen wins on his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut, he would join 1975 Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda as the only F1 title winners to conquer the gruelling endurance classic.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Nurburgring 24 Hours, including race timings, qualifying sessions and how to watch Verstappen live.

Will you be tuning into the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend?

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What is the schedule for the Nurburgring 24 Hours race?

The Nurburgring 24 Hours weekend gets underway on Thursday, 14 May, before the main endurance race begins at 3pm local time (CEST) on Saturday, 16 May.

As the name suggests, the iconic event runs for a full 24 hours, with the chequered flag scheduled to fall at 3pm CEST on Sunday, 17 May.

Here is the full weekend schedule for the Nurburgring 24 Hours:

How to watch the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Max Verstappen will make his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut this weekend with the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.

The race weekend on 14–17 May will be available to watch for free on the Sky Sports F1 YouTube channel, which will provide an English-language broadcast. An alternative stream will also be available on the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.

Both English and German-speaking viewers can follow the action live via the NLS YouTube channel.

What is the weather forecast for the Nurburgring 24 Hours?

The weather forecast for the Nürburgring 24 Hours currently shows only a small chance of rain between Saturday and Sunday, although Thursday’s qualifying sessions could be affected by light showers.

Conditions are expected to remain cool across the event, with temperatures reaching highs of around 10°C. Overcast skies are likely for most of the weekend, but there should still be occasional sunny spells around the Nürburgring circuit.

What is the Nurburgring 24 Hours?

Few endurance races in the world are as demanding as the Nürburgring 24 Hours, with the famous German event taking place on the fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife. Stretching more than 25km per lap, the circuit is renowned for its relentless nature and punishing layout.

Drivers face a unique challenge as the race uses both the modern Grand Prix venue and the historic Nordschleife, producing a lap packed with high-speed corners, tight technical sections and steep elevation changes. The surrounding Eifel region is also known for sudden weather swings, meaning dry conditions can quickly turn wet without warning.

Traffic management plays a huge role throughout the event, with almost 200 cars across 20 different classes sharing the track at the same time. That creates major closing-speed differences between cars forcing drivers to carefully pick their way through slower traffic over the course of the 24-hour race.