Max Verstappen may further expand his participation in endurance races outside of Formula 1. The four-time world champion revealed that there is a possibility of competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona next year, an idea that has already begun to be considered by the Dutch driver and his team.
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The possibility arose a few weeks after Verstappen’s debut in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3, the Red Bull Racing F1 driver came close to victory in his first participation in the traditional German race, but ended up losing any chance of winning after facing a mechanical problem.
Verstappen and his teammates finished the race only in 38th place, after spending much of the final hours in the pits. Despite the frustration with the result, the Dutchman made it clear that he enjoyed the experience and is already thinking about new participations in long-duration races.
Asked by the newspaper De Telegraaf about the possibility of competing in other GT races outside the iconic Nordschleife-Nurburgring circuit, which is over 20 km long, later this year, Verstappen ruled out immediate plans: “Outside Nordschleife, I don’t think so,” said the Red Bull driver.
Even so, the 2027 24 Hours of Daytona appears as a real option on the four-time champion’s radar. The traditional race held in the United States takes place in January, a period that does not conflict with the Formula 1 calendar, something considered important to make his participation feasible.
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Verstappen admitted, however, that a possible presence in Daytona would require significant changes in his physical preparation for the season: “If I wanted to do that, I would have to adjust my entire training program. I usually start my preparation for the new season in January. So I would need to adapt that and also talk to my family,” he added.
Although there is no definitive decision yet, the Dutchman made clear his enthusiasm for the idea: “At the moment it is just an idea, nothing concrete yet. I have plenty of time to think about it, but I would love to do it. And again in a GT3 car, not in the GTP class, which is the fastest,” concluded the Dutch driver.
Outside Daytona, Verstappen also revealed interest in returning to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring next year. According to him, if the race happens again on a weekend without conflict with Formula 1, he wants to compete again in the traditional German race.
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