Max Verstappen will make his debut within the Nurburgring 24 Hours on Might 16. In doing so, he joins an extended checklist of System 1 drivers who’ve taken half within the endurance basic.
Verstappen’s entry will not be solely huge information due to his standing, but in addition as a result of he turns into a part of a choose group. Since 1970 – the primary 12 months of the race – greater than 30 System 1 drivers have competed on this legendary occasion on the Nordschleife.
Nevertheless, what instantly makes Verstappen distinctive is his resume. With 4 world titles, he surpasses nearly each earlier F1 driver to take part within the Nurburgring race. Solely names corresponding to Niki Lauda, Nelson Piquet and Jack Brabham come shut when it comes to championships. Of those, Lauda can be the one F1 world champion to have really received the race (1973).
By way of System 1 expertise, Verstappen additionally stands out. With greater than 230 grand prix begins, he has extra begins than another F1 driver who has ever competed within the 24 hours race. That underlines his standing as one of the vital skilled and profitable lively drivers ever to take the beginning – though it ought to be famous that the F1 calendar has featured considerably extra races lately than it did within the Nineteen Eighties, for instance.
Nevertheless, there are additionally statistics through which Verstappen can’t (but) compete. Hans-Joachim Caught holds the file with no fewer than 19 entries within the Nurburgring 24 Hours between 1970 and 2011, together with three victories. Markus Winkelhock (16 begins, three wins) and Pedro Lamy additionally stand out. The latter is, actually, essentially the most profitable former F1 driver within the race’s historical past with 5 general victories.
A New Chapter
What stands out within the statistics is the sturdy German illustration. A big proportion of individuals come from Germany, which is logical given the historic and geographical ties to the Nurburgring. Names corresponding to Bernd Schneider, Christian Danner and Heinz-Harald Frentzen all made the swap from F1 to the Nordschleife.
The query now could be the place Verstappen will place himself on this checklist. In earlier races, he has already proven he can struggle on the entrance instantly and has twice battled for the lead with skilled GT3 driver Christopher Haase.
Verstappen even received the second race of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) alongside Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella – till the workforce was disqualified for utilizing too many tyre units.
Max Verstappen will compete within the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring within the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
A win on debut could be historic and would place him alongside Lauda within the file books. Extra realistically, he could first achieve expertise, as many predecessors did, though with such a powerful workforce the target is evident: to struggle for the general victory.
Both manner, Verstappen’s participation marks a brand new chapter within the wealthy historical past of System 1 drivers on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Each F1 drivers to compete within the Nurburgring 24 Hours
Driver
Nationality
F1 expertise
Nurburgring 24 Hours appearances
Wins
Philippe Adams
2 grands prix (1994)
3 (1997–1998, 2000)
–
Giovanna Amati
3 qualifying periods (1992)
1 (1985)
–
Michael Bartels
4 {qualifications} (1991)
7 (1991, 2000–2001, 2003–2006)
2 (2000, 2001)
Jack Brabham
126 grands prix, 3 titles
1 (1980)
–
Johnny Cecotto
18 grands prix
4 (1988, 1990–1992)
1 (1992)
Christian Danner
36 grands prix
7 (1978–1979, 1985, 1990–1992, 2000)
1 (1992)
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
156 grands prix
2 (1988, 2008)
–
Timo Glock
91 grands prix
1 (2024)
–
Hubert Hahne
3 grands prix
2 (1994–1995)
–
Nick Heidfeld
183 grands prix
2 (2012, 2014)
–
Hans Heyer
1 qualifying session
5 (1971–1973, 1994–1995)
–
Ingo Hoffmann
3 grands prix
3 (1994–1996)
–
Christian Klien
49 grands prix
1 (2025)
–
Jacques Laffite
176 grands prix
1 (2006)
–
Pedro Lamy
32 grands prix
12 (2001–2005, 2010–2016)
5 (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010)
Niki Lauda
171 grands prix, 3 titles
1 (1973)
1 (1973)
Jochen Mass
105 grands prix
2 (1971, 1999)
–
Arturo Merzario
57 grands prix
4 (2005, 2007–2009)
–
Stefano Modena
70 grands prix
1 (2000)
–
Tiago Monteiro
37 grands prix
4 (2019–2021, 2024)
–
Nelson Piquet
204 grands prix, 3 titles
1 (1994)
–
Emanuele Pirro
37 grands prix
3 (1989, 1993, 2009)
1 (1989)
Dieter Quester
1 grand prix begin
10 (1982, 1984, 1987–1988, 1990–1991, 1993, 2004–2006)
–
Keke Rosberg
114 grands prix, 1 title
1 (1982)
–
Bernd Schneider
9 grands prix
9 (1987, 1990–1991, 2012–2013, 2015–2018)
2 (2013, 2016)
Rolf Stommelen
54 grands prix
2 (1981–1982)
–
Hans-Joachim Caught
74 grands prix
19 (1970–1972, 1981–1982, 1984, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002–2011)
3 (1970, 1998, 2004)
Eric van de Poele
5 grands prix
4 (1987–1989, 2006)
–
Volker Weidler
10 qualifying periods
2 (1986–1987)
–
Joachim Winkelhock
7 qualifying periods
9 (1984, 1986–1988, 1990–1992, 1994–1995)
2 (1990, 1991)
Manfred Winkelhock
47 grands prix
1 (1982)
–
Markus Winkelhock
1 grands prix
16 (2010–2025)
3 (2012, 2014, 2017)
Alexander Wurz
69 grands prix
1 (1992)
–
Alex Yoong
18 grands prix
5 (2012–2017)
–
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