Ask Max Verstappen where his racing year peaked, and Formula 1 barely enters the conversation. Days before this weekend’s inaugural Madrid Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver was asked by BBC Sport to name his most enjoyable race of 2026. His answer did not come from the calendar he headlines.
“Probably the Nordschleife,” Verstappen told BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson, referring to his debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May.
“It was super-cool to be able to do an endurance event with my team-mates.”
He raced a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, sharing the car with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella. The entry was leading when a driveshaft failure ended their bid with three hours and 20 minutes to run, Sky Sports reported.
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“It was an incredible experience. And pure. Pure motorsport.”
Pure motorsport at the Nordschleife
The Nordschleife 24 Hours hands the winner nothing that shows up on a Formula 1 record. Verstappen still described it as the emotional high point of a season in which he has climbed the podium several times but not won a race.
“Once I was in the race, you switch to another level. I was just in a zone,” he said.
“It’s really enjoyable.”
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He has also told Sky Sports he intends to return.
“I will for sure try. It always depends a bit on my schedule.”
Sixth in the standings
Verstappen sits sixth in the 2026 drivers’ standings on 127 points, 140 behind Kimi Antonelli, who leads on 267 with seven wins from thirteen rounds. George Russell is second on 201, with Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc filling the places between Russell and Verstappen.
Verstappen made no attempt in the same BBC interview to dress the season up.
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“We are not in a title fight. We are just trying to find more performance.”
He has been openly critical of the new regulations too, calling the 2026 cars “numb to your driver inputs” and arguing the sport should go back to V8 engines “just for drivability”.
Madrid is next
F1 arrives in Madrid this weekend for the fourteenth round of the season, F1’s return to the Madrid region for the first time since Jarama last hosted a round in 1981. Practice starts on Friday, 11 September at the new Madring circuit, qualifying is on Saturday, and the race runs on Sunday, 13 September.
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