Max Verstappens's Nurburgring 24 Hours teammates GT aces Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon

The four-time Formula 1 World Champion will share the Red Bull liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 with experienced GT specialists Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon when the race begins on 16 May.

“The 24h Nürburgring is a race that has been on my bucket list for a long time,” Verstappen said ahead of the event, where he will make his debut at motorsport's most challenging venue.

The Verstappen Racing entry will compete in the SP9 class and be run by Team Winward Racing as Verstappen takes on one of endurance racing’s toughest challenges for the first time.

Auer arrives with extensive DTM and GT experience after 167 races in Germany’s premier touring car series between 2015 and 2025, claiming 11 victories and finishing runner-up in the 2022 championship.

The Austrian, nephew of former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger, also won the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup alongside Maro Engel and has previous Nordschleife experience through multiple Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie appearances.

Juncadella brings further pedigree to the squad after building a career across Formula 3, DTM and GT racing. The Spaniard won the Macau Grand Prix in 2011 before securing the FIA European Formula 3 title and Masters of Formula 3 crown in 2012.

A former Red Bull Junior and Force India Formula 1 reserve driver, Juncadella also enjoyed success in GT competition, winning both the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge titles in 2022.

The 34-year-old narrowly missed a strong Nürburgring result last year when gearbox trouble ended Red Bull Team ABT’s charge with 90 minutes remaining while running competitively in the top positions.

Gounon completes the lineup with one of the strongest endurance racing résumés in GT competition. The Frenchman, son of former Formula 1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon, has claimed 2 overall victories at the Spa 24 Hours, 3 Bathurst 12 Hour wins and victory in the GTD Pro class at Daytona in 2023.

He also races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine’s LMDh programme in 2026 and already has podium experience at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Together, the trio provide Verstappen with hundreds of GT race starts and titles across some of the world’s biggest endurance championships as the Dutchman prepares for his first attempt at the Nordschleife classic.

The race weekend begins on Thursday with qualifying and night practice sessions before Friday’s Top Qualifying shootout decides the leading grid positions. The 24-hour race starts at 15:00 local time on Saturday.