Max Verstappen knocked down: Warning for photographers at the Nurburgring

On the German racing calendar, the Nürburgring 24h has been a gem for decades. The event always draws hundreds of thousands of fans, mainly from Germany. The same goes for the media. Local journalists in particular usually find their way to the Eifel circuit to cover the country’s most important endurance race.

In 2026, everything is different, thanks to one man: Max Verstappen. The former Formula 1 champion is driving an extra-large influx of visitors, many from the Netherlands as well. And the media center is busier than ever now that the regular contingent of F1 media has also reported to the Nürburgring.

All this creates a major logistical challenge. Normally, the circuit’s press building can accommodate 500 journalists, but on Saturday and Sunday there will be 1,200. Those are numbers reminiscent of Formula 1. The premier class has larger media facilities for that, or, for example, sets up a tent to house everyone.

That’s not the case at the Nürburgring, which makes it crowded not only around the circuit but especially in the paddock and media room. It will be quite a challenge to provide everyone with their own workspace this weekend.

In any case, the Nürburgring is not designed for large groups of people. For instance, the drivers’ briefing this morning was held in the press room. It wasn’t cleared out for that; the journalists present at the time could simply continue their work. Max Verstappen and his colleagues were thus briefed in an overcrowded room on what is and isn’t allowed on the Nordschleife, and what they need to pay attention to.

It was one of Max Verstappen’s first ‘public’ appearances at the Nürburgring, which led photographers to swarm the Dutchman en masse. Verstappen was only just not trampled in the process. The organizers have politely yet firmly asked the photographers present to behave better.