Porsche driver Preining praises Verstappen’s Nordschleife motivation: 'Great to have him'

Like last year, Preining is part of the line-up of the iconic “Grello", the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo run by Manthey Racing. The team from Meuspath is based at the Nordschleife and brings a wealth of experience. Preining, Kévin Estre, ad Ayhancan Güven will be formidable opponents for Verstappen Racing. On social media, fans have been eagerly anticipating that showdown for months.

The Austrian driver believes it’s a positive development that Formula 1 star Verstappen is taking part in one of the biggest endurance races of the year. “I think it’s great that he’s here", Preining told GPblog. “It obviously brings a lot of attention to the sport, which is important. It’s also really cool to see the interest growing, and cool to see that he is so keen on doing this stuff.”

According to the 27-year-old, it shows that Verstappen has a deep passion for motorsport in general, not just Formula 1. “He’s busy enough as it is, but he just loves racing. That’s also good for us. In the end, he will definitely be one of our main competitors for the win. I hope that by the 24-hour race weekend we’ll be quick enough", said Preining.

The 2023 DTM champion says there’s still a bit of work to be done for Manthey, but he expects things to come together. Last year, Estre secured pole position for the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, but it was BMW that ultimately took victory. Preining, Estre and Güven finished second in 2024 and 2025 and have a clear goal: the overall victory.

Fans are particularly looking forward to the battles between Verstappen and the GT3 front-runners. A fierce fight with the Grello is certainly not out of the question: “Yeah, for sure! On track, of course. Off track, I have a lot of respect for Max", Preining says with a smile. “I follow him closely. I work as an expert for Austrian TV (Servus TV, ed.), so I watch every F1 race.”

All teams are working hard to fine-tune everything ahead of next week. Preining and his teammates already secured a podium finish at NLS5. He and Verstappen crossed paths on track there, but damage on the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 meant they dropped back significantly. In a few weeks, there will be another opportunity to go head-to-head.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter to Preining who he has to beat for victory. “As I said, it’s good to see him here. On track, he’s just another competitor, like everyone else. We have to beat him if we want to win the race, so it doesn’t matter who’s driving", he concluded.