Auer and Verstappen reunite as teammates after F3 ‘Beautiful story’

Both drivers have become major names in motorsport, with Auer deciding to focus on GT racing after a difficult year in single-seaters in 2014. He quickly became one of the biggest names in the DTM and the story of him driving for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport started. Auer still races for the Affalterbach-based brand and will compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, who have been tipped to win the race in Germany this weekend.

Verstappen’s Orange Army will not only cheer for the Dutchman, but also for his teammates Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon. Is Auer prepared for the fact that probably half of the Netherlands will travel to the Nordschleife? “I hope that I’m prepared and, but I’m really looking forward to all the spectators!” he said.

“It’s amazing to have Max on board. Also because of him, this is a golden era for GT3. It’s going to be spectacular and it’s just amazing to share the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with him", Auer says. It almost feels like a full-circle moment, considering Verstappen and Auer raced against each other in Formula 3 back in 2014.

“We were competitors then", Auer continues. “It was a tough year, but there was an enormous amount of talent there, Max included, of course. It’s interesting to see who goes where and what they already have achieved. To now have the opportunity to share a car with him Max is pretty amazing.”

Auer and Verstappen have known each other for much longer, dating back to their karting days. “Even though he’s a bit younger, we often saw each other on track, and later again in Formula 3. The fact that we’re now coming together like this is pretty special. When I see those old pictures from the formula days…” he smiles. “It was quite a long time ago, so you almost forget about it. It’s a really beautiful story.”

Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing will not be lacking experience during the 24-hour race. Verstappen himself gained experience during NLS7 and NLS9 in 2025, and also completed strong stints during the NLS2 and the N24 Qualifiers to build up more mileage. “Max is naturally incredibly fast, hugely talented, and a hard worker,” Auer said. With the specialists from Mercedes-AMG Motorsport and Winward Racing, four very experienced drivers, success seems to be written in the stars.

"In a 24-hour race - or endurance racing in general - it’s important to always maintain maximum communication, because the track keeps evolving. You have different weather conditions", Auer explains. "Communication between the team and the drivers, and between the drivers themselves, will therefore be crucial, “because whatever you learn, you immediately try to pass on to the next driver, so they don’t have to figure it out themselves. That will be very important for all four of us."

"And by the way, we already do that now. Whenever someone discovers a small trick or something useful, it will be immediately passed on to the next person", he concludes. Verstappen Racing will start the 56th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring from P4, starting behind the #130 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II and the #64 sister car of the ABT Motorsport squad. The #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II lines up on P3.

Watch the action live here.