"The most fun I've had all year" - Max Verstappen's F1 colleagues envy his Nurburgring bid

TL;DR

Max Verstappen is set to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with his Mercedes GT3 car, attracting significant attention from fans and F1 colleagues. Lando Norris expressed envy, calling it the most fun he's had all year.

Key points

Max Verstappen competes in Nurburgring 24 Hours
Record number of fans expected at the event
Lando Norris calls it the most fun he's had all year
Norris and Piastri recently tested at the Nurburgring
Verstappen drives a Mercedes GT3 car

Mercedes GT3Max VerstappenLando NorrisOscar Piastri

Motorsport photo

When Max Verstappen hustles his Winward team's Mercedes GT3 car around the Nordschleife this weekend in his quest to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours, record numbers of fans are expected to watch on, either at the sold-out event or via the broadcast. Among them will likely be a number of his F1 colleagues, and some of them might even be tinged with envy.

McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri got a taste of the Nordschleife as recently as a couple of weeks ago, when the pair dovetailed a tyre test at the Nurburgring with a Nordschleife excursion in a McLaren 750S.

"It was the most fun I've had all year to be honest," Norris said in Miami. "It's a circuit I've driven on Gran Turismo and iRacing. It's one of those tracks that everyone just wants to drive. Whether you're a racing driver or not it's just always cool to go and do that because it's so unique. I felt I was lucky.

"I feel like you can do it in any car and probably have a lot of fun. In the McLaren it's scary and fun. But it was cool that I got to do one of those things. As much as I've been in Formula 1 for years and been to the Nurburgring countless times, it was my first opportunity to actually go on the Nordschleife and drive."

Norris, who previously competed in the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours, albeit in LMP2, said he had followed Verstappen's previous NLS exploits to help bolster his virtual knowledge of the revered 20.8km loop.

"I've also been watching all of the onboards," he said. "I knew the track by heart already, but I've been watching all the GT races that Max has been doing. I have quite a few of my friends in GT racing. I've watched it for years. So, it's nice to get my own view of the circuit and I think it certainly lives up to all the expectations and the things that people say about it."

"I'll be watching maybe not the whole 24 hours, but as much as possible and spotting Max because he's a guy that I respect a lot. I've enjoyed watching him and Christopher Haase racing the last few weeks."