Lando Norris
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Ferrari
Williams
Racing Bulls
Aston Martin
Haas
Alpine
Hans-Joachim Stuck feels Red Bull have let Max Verstappen make his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut in 2026 as they know it would be a “catastrophe” if he left the F1 team.
Verstappen is set to become the first active Formula 1 driver for many a year to take part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours alongside their normal F1 commitments. Clashes between the F1 calendar and the date for the endurance classic have often put drivers off potential entries.
The 2026 edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend falls kindly for Verstappen, with F1 on a brief break between the Grands Prix in Miami and Canada. He is set to make his N24 debut sharing a Mercedes GT3 EVO with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
Stuck suspects that Red Bull only gave Verstappen their permission to enter the Nurburgring 24 Hours due to the uncertainty surrounding his future in F1. Verstappen has threatened to retire from F1 in 2026, owing to his hatred of the increased role of the battery in the engine.
Will you be tuning into the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend?
Red Bull only let Max Verstappen race in the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours to stop him leaving
Red Bull are at risk of seeing Verstappen leave due to a break clause in his contract through 2028. It is understood that Verstappen will have from August to October to use his release clause if he enters the summer break outside the top two in the 2026 F1 drivers’ standings.
READ MORE: The best moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1
Three-time outright Nurburgring 24 Hours winner Stuck is certain that Verstappen will quit F1 and Red Bull if his love for the series begins to wane. The two-time outright Le Mans 24 Hours winner also suspects that Red Bull would understand it if Verstappen were to leave.
Stuck told Eurosport: “If he doesn’t enjoy it anymore, I’m 100 per cent sure he’ll quit. Max is all about racing and having fun. So, I’m certain he’ll pull the plug if that’s no longer the case.
“You have to see what Max has achieved with Red Bull and, above all, the heights Red Bull have reached thanks to him. There’s a huge mutual respect between the two. Parting ways at this point would be perfectly understandable.”
Yet while Stuck believes Red Bull would understand if Verstappen were to elect to leave at the end of the 2026 F1 season, he suspects that the team granted the Dutchman’s request to enter the Nurburgring 24 Hours as they know it would be a “catastrophe” if he ever left.
“On the one hand, I find it hard to understand why they allow him these excursions,” Stuck added. “But the circumstances speak for themselves. In my day, something like this would never have been possible.
“But Red Bull are aware of what they have in Verstappen, and therefore have to keep him happy. It would be a catastrophe [for Red Bull if Verstappen left]. So, if he approaches Red Bull with such a request, they would be well advised to grant it.”
How much would Formula 1 suffer without Max Verstappen?
Let us know your thoughts
Verstappen is the heartbeat of the Red Bull team, and he has proven since Daniel Ricciardo left the team back in 2018 that he is the only driver capable of getting the maximum out of their cars. While others struggle to deliver, he can find the limits that Red Bull say are there.
Even after Isack Hadjar’s promising start to the 2026 season, after qualifying P3 in Australia, the Frenchman showed in Miami that he may struggle to stay with Verstappen as Red Bull’s upgrades change the RB22. Verstappen qualified P2 in Florida, while Hadjar only secured P9.
Hadjar was disqualified from qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix after his floor was found to be protruding 2mm out of the reference volume. His weekend even took another dip when Hadjar crashed out of the Miami GP while down in P16 when he tagged the wall at Turn 14.
Receive exclusive F1 news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
