Hamilton 'would love to' take on Verstappen-style Nurburgring outing

Last weekend, the motorsport world turned its attention towards the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where Max Verstappen came agonisingly close to an extraordinary result during his first-ever 24-hour endurance race. The four-time Formula 1 world champion and Verstappen Racing had controlled much of the event and looked firmly on course for victory until roughly four hours from the finish, when a driveshaft failure cruelly ended the team’s hopes.

The late mechanical issue brought a premature end not only to Verstappen’s charge, but also to the efforts of teammates Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella after a dominant display throughout the race, although the team eventually managed to return to the track in the closing stages and salvage a P38 finish.

The topic of the Nürburgring inevitably became part of the discussion in Montréal as Formula 1 prepares for its fifth race weekend of the season, with several drivers naturally being asked whether they had followed Verstappen’s endurance outing in Germany. One of those drivers was seven-time world champion, who was asked whether Verstappen’s exploits at the Nordschleife had inspired him to consider taking part in GT racing there in the future. In response, the Ferrari driver admitted that the idea certainly appeals to him and explained that he has always been fascinated by the legendary German circuit.

Max Verstappen has admitted he is already eager for another shot at the Nürburgring 24 Hours after a dramatic ending spoiled what had otherwise been an extremely positive debut at the Nordschleife. Speaking during Thursday’s media day in Montréal to media including GPblog, the Dutchman looked back fondly on the experience despite Verstappen Racing missing out on victory.

The Red Bull driver explained that the event had been a major target for quite some time and revealed how much preparation had gone into making the project possible. According to Verstappen, everything had run smoothly throughout the week, with the team operating strongly and the car performing exactly as expected before reliability issues abruptly ended their hopes near the end of the race.

Verstappen also reiterated that exploring categories outside F1 remains something that genuinely excites him, particularly when it comes to iconic endurance races. While his recent criticism of Formula 1’s future regulations has fuelled ongoing speculation about his long-term plans, the four-time world champion made it clear that events such as the Nürburgring 24 Hours offer a completely different kind of enjoyment behind the wheel.

After coming so close to victory on his first attempt, he finally admitted he now feels he has unfinished business at the Nordschleife and confirmed that returning to the event in the future is firmly part of his plans, calendar permitting.