When Max Verstappen takes on the Nürburgring 24 Hours this weekend, the three-time Formula 1 champion won't just be racing for victory—he'll be carrying the hopes (and a fair share of envy) from his F1 colleagues. The Dutchman is set to pilot the Winward team's Mercedes GT3 car around the legendary Nordschleife, and with the event sold out and broadcast viewership expected to smash records, it's clear that the 'Ring fever has taken hold of the paddock.
McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri recently got a taste of the magic themselves, sneaking in a Nordschleife hot lap in a McLaren 750S during a tyre test at the circuit. For Norris, it was a bucket-list moment that left him buzzing long after the engine cooled down.
"It was the most fun I've had all year, to be honest," Norris admitted 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."
Having previously raced in the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours (in LMP2), Norris knows a thing or two about endurance classics. But the Nordschleife, with its 20.8km of unforgiving corners and elevation changes, is a different beast entirely. "I feel like you can do it in any car and probably have a lot of fun," he said. "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 Nürburgring countless times, it was my first opportunity to actually go on the Nordschleife and drive."
To prepare, Norris has been studying Verstappen's previous NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie) exploits like a student cramming for an exam. "I've also been watching all of the onboards," he explained. "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."
Norris plans to tune in for Verstappen's assault on the 24-hour classic, joining a growing fellowship of F1 drivers who are becoming devoted followers of the 'Ring. "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," Norris said. "I've enjoyed watching him and Christopher Haase racing the last few weeks."
As Haas driver Oliver Bearman and others in the paddock likely echo that sentiment, one thing is clear: Verstappen's Nürburgring bid has turned the F1 grid into a fan club, with each driver secretly wishing they could trade their cockpit for a GT3 seat at the Green Hell. After all, when the most fun you've had all year comes from a track that's been a legend for decades, you know it's something special.