Max Verstappen told winning the Nurburgring 24 Hours would be ‘almost’ like a championship

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Max Verstappen could etch his name in the history books with a legendary win at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring this weekend.

Verstappen’s impact on Nurburgring’s flagship event has been well documented, with tickets selling out for the first time in its long history.

But the four-time world champion won’t be satisfied with selling the event out. Knowing how competitive he is, Max Verstappen will be looking to win it all.

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

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However, not everyone is backing Verstappen to win, given his lack of experience. But former winner Markus Winkelhock does think the Dutch driver has a strong chance.

The thrill of winning the legendary race is something Winkelhock is familiar with, having earned four wins. And he believes the feeling of winning the event will give Verstappen the same thrill as winning a world championship.

READ MORE: Lando Norris loved one thing he saw Max Verstappen do while racing at the Nurburgring

Markus Winkelhock thinks 24 Hours of Nurburgring is on Max Verstappen’s bucket list

Speaking to GP Blog, Markus Winkelhock explained how winning the 24 Hours of Nurburgring felt like winning a championship.

He believes this feeling is exactly what Verstappen is chasing for his bucket list. Despite some concerns, Winkelhock believes Verstappen has a good chance to win the race.

“Yes, absolutely. For me, winning a 24-hour race is almost the same as winning a championship… You only get one chance a year to win. So it’s something very special for a driver to win a 24-hour race.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why Max Verstappen has this on his bucket list. Looking ahead, [winning] the Nurburgring, Spa, and Le Mans are definitely on Max’s bucket list.”

“I think he just needs to be careful when overtaking traffic. I think he may need to take it a little easier to survive the 24 hours. But even so, I think he has good chances to win this race.”

READ MORE: Helmut Marko reveals Max Verstappen’s Nurburgring request that set ‘alarm bells’ off at Red Bull

Markus Winkelhock warns Max Verstappen about his ‘only issue’ at Nordschleife

Speaking further in the interview, Winkelhock warned Verstappen to watch out for the conditions while driving at night, and how he could manage the rain.

“I think he has shown that he can adapt very quickly. He is super fast and now knows the circuit very well. The only issue is that he doesn’t have much experience at night yet.

“And if it starts raining at night, then it really comes down to practical experience. He has done a lot of simulations, but the Nordschleife is very special.

“If it rains at night and then starts to dry, that’s the key part. Because you can’t see where it’s drying, where it’s still wet, or where it’s damp. That’s super difficult.”

Winkelhock is far from the first person to make this point. Renger van der Zande also warned Verstappen about the dark dangers of driving at night.

And while Verstappen performed very well at Nurburgring last time he raced a GT3 car there, he is going to be experiencing driving at night for the first time under these circumstances.

The excitement around Verstappen’s appearance at the Nurburgring 24 Hours is palpable, as many F1 fans are likely to tune in to see how the Dutch ace performs.