Tom Coronel shares why Max Verstappen will not win Nurburgring 24 Hours despite ‘guaranteed’ podium

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Max Verstappen is set to take part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend, and fellow competitor Tom Coronel has explained why the four-time F1 world champion is unlikely to take the win despite nailing him down for a ‘guaranteed’ podium.

Max Verstappen’s entry to the Nurburgring 24 Hours has finally arrived following 12 months of preparation, including a driving test to ensure he was capable of racing GT3 machinery on the infamous ‘Green Hell’.

Taking place this weekend in between the Miami and Montreal rounds of the F1 calendar, Verstappen will be racing alongside Daniel Juncadella, Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car.

To qualify for the event, Verstappen and his team had to take part in several NLS events at the start of the 2026 season.

He has previously showcased his extraordinary skills on the Nordschleife, but the odds are stacked against him for the prestigious endurance race, according to one of his rivals, who he’ll be racing against this weekend.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen was blocked from qualifying for Nurburgring race because he was too fast

Tom Coronel doesn’t rate Max Verstappen’s chances of winning Nurburgring 24 Hours

In a recent appearance on the Paddockpraat podcast, Tom Coronel, who will be racing in a Max Kruse Racing Audi R8 GT3, highlighted the current sentiment within the Nurburgring paddock regarding the strongest teams for the event.

“My gut feeling is that BMW has it all sorted,” he began. “But that’s just an internal feeling I have myself. They aren’t the fastest in terms of lap times, but they are in terms of averages. That’s what this game is all about, of course.”

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Due to the driving duties being spread out across the team’s four drivers, Verstappen will only be able to influence the result of the race during his own time behind the wheel.

Rules stipulate that drivers can do a maximum of three hours in the cockpit during a single stint, and they also outline that drivers must have a two-hour break before returning to action.

As Coronel says, “It’s a completely different kind of game.” He then added, “You have to be on the ball in all conditions. Strategically, too. Spotters all over the track, you name it.

“But Max will be on the podium, that’s guaranteed. That chance of winning will also come, 1000%. But, the chance of him not winning, that’s greater.”

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s GT3 rival applauds F1 star for ‘awesome racing’ experience despite Nurburgring DQ

Tom Coronel also highlighted how Max Verstappen’s status gives him an ‘advantage’

Coronel also pointed out that Verstappen may be on the receiving end of some favours from his competitors in the race, due to his status as a four-time world champion in F1.

“There is actually an advantage to driving the Red Bull-branded Mercedes. Everyone knows, right? You’ve got Max. And with you [points to co-host Jeroen Bleekemolen], they think, ‘Oh, there’s that little BMW’.

“Or with me, they think, ‘Oh, there’s that Audi’. It’s different, isn’t it? When you see that Red Bull car, you know he’s in it, you know it’s fast.

“I can see that because they’re so well-known around this event, they’ve managed to turn that into a nice little advantage. Because everyone thinks, ‘Oh, there’s Max, I’d better move over, because he’s faster anyway.'”