Former Nürburgring 24h winner explains why Yokohama still cannot match Michelin

Frijns, who won his last NLS race in the #77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in April, arrives on May 14-17 having prepared well, but under no illusions that when it comes to victory at the 'Green Hell', he will struggle to be a factor due to his running on the Yokohama tyres.

Meanwhile, four-time F1 champion Verstappen will be on Michelin tyres for his first-ever 24-hour challenge at the Nordschleife. The Dutchman will compete in his #3 Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 with teammates Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer.

"I’ll be running on Yokohama tires," Frijns explains exclusively to GPblog as to what his biggest obstacle will be. The Japanese supplier is ambitious, but it’s not yet at the level of their rivals. As well as Verstappen's Mercedes, the highly-rated Lamborghini will also be using that brand.

Frijns, who recently announced his retirement from single-seater racing, credits Yokohama for "really doing their best", but is clear that Michelin-based teams are the obvious favourites. After Rowe Racing's victory last year in the BMW M4 GT3, the French tyre supplier has won 25 times at the Nürburgring, including an unbeaten streak since 2018.

Frijns continued: "Michelin has dominated the Nordschleife for the last ten, fifteen years. They still do. Dunlop tried about ten years ago, but they also dropped out. Now Yokohama is trying to push to measure up to Michelin. The Japanese are really doing their best. All respect to them. But it’s just not there yet. Making a tyre or understanding a tire is one of the hardest things in the sport. It’s not something you solve quickly," Frijns explains.

Frijns stresses that Yokohama has made a decent tyre, but one that operates within a very narrow performance window, which is why the chance of a 24-hour win against the likes of Verstappen is also very small - conditions having to be perfect for the former Formula E driver.

Frijns continued on what has to go his team's way in order to stand a chance at victory: "If it’s 20°C all day and night, we might be in the mix. But if it starts to drizzle even a little, the tire drops off. That’s really a weak point of the tire. We’re really trying to work on that."

The Dutchman also revealed reported issues with the tyre even after his team's NLS3 victory in April: "After NLS3, Yokohama also said it wasn’t working as it should. A lot of work is going into it, but it won’t be solved from one moment to the next," Frijns knows.

While the likes of Max Verstappen won’t be satisfied with anything less than victory, Frijns takes a more realistic approach, suggesting that while 2026 may not see a Yokohama win, there is always potential for next year.

On his goals for next weekend at the Nürburgring: "Try to finish as high as possible and keep developing the tire. I don’t think we can realistically go for the win this year. But if we can complete the 24 hours, we can learn a lot from it. Maybe then we can win with Yokohama next year."