Verstappen makes feelings clear on ‘superstar’ status during endurance racing

The four-time F1 world champion has increasingly turned his attention towards other forms of motorsport, and made his competitive GT racing debut at the legendary German circuit last year as he prepared for this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours. The event provided the Red Bull driver with his first experience of competing in a 24-hour race, as well as the challenge of driving at night.

Driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside teammates Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer, Verstappen looked in real contention to take a victory before a broken driveshaft left them stranded in the pits for three hours.

The Dutchman, speaking to Racing News 365, has stressed that he does not want his status as an F1 driver to change how he approaches endurance racing.

"I don't want to act like a superstar or, like, you know, just because I'm a Formula 1 driver, I need to act differently," he explained. "I love racing, and I love endurance racing, and I love working with teammates on the same car and, like, you know, traffic management, all these things. Driving at night for the first time was honestly just, yeah, a fantastic, fantastic experience."

Verstappen will return to home soil the next time he steps in a car which will be at Zandvoort, with the Dutch Grand Prix dropping off the Formula 1 calendar at the end of the 2026 season.

It means that, unless the Dutch Grand Prix returns before his F1 career is over, it could be his final home race in the sport. The four-time world champion admitted it was a “shame”, although he believes the track itself will continue to provide plenty of opportunities for him to enjoy driving there away from Formula 1.

He told reporters after the Hungarian Grand Prix: "It’s my home Grand Prix, so for sure I’m going to enjoy it a lot. I hope, driving-wise. Hopefully a bit more than I did this weekend, at least. But, yeah, it’s going to be great to see the fans.