Max Verstappen will make his debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race driving a Red Bull-branded Mercedes in May.
The four-time world champion will race in the prestigious event, which includes running on the fearsome Nordschleife, to drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 decked out in Red Bull colours and run under Verstappen Racing.
Last year Verstappen twice drove around the Nordschliefe, first gaining his GT3 licence before competing in a round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) - which he won, in a Ferrari, with Britain's Chris Lulham.
He will return to the German venue in March for first a NSL race on March 21- the weekend between the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix - before appearing at the showpiece 24 hours on May 14-17, which takes place in the gap between F1's Miami and Canadian GPs.
Verstappen will share driving duties in the Mercedes GT3 operated by Winward Racing with Spain's Daniel Juncadella, Andorra's Jules Gounon and Austria's Lucas Auer across the 24 hours.
"The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place," said Verstappen.
"There's no other track like it. The 24h Nürburgring is a race that's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm really thrilled we can make it happen now.
"Last year, I was able to get my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS9, that we won.
"That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS2 and the 24-hour race.
"We've got a strong line-up with Dani, Jules and Lucas and great support from Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Now it's about putting in the right preparations before the events, so we can maximise everything in the races."
Verstappen finished Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix in sixth after crashing in qualifying due to a car failure.
Although the four-time F1 world champion was on the tail of Lando Norris when he crossed the line, race-winner George Russell had already taken the chequered flag 54 seconds earlier as Mercedes took a one-two.
Isack Hadjar retired due to a power unit failure with Red Bull clearly a decent chunk behind Mercedes and Ferrari on pure pace.
"We have potential in the car, for sure. [The] engine side, I think we're not too bad," said Verstappen.
"At the moment, I think where our pace is lacking is half-half, so half car, half engine, which is not bad. Those are things that can be overcome, it's not shocking.
"That's the thing also, I'm very negative about the rules, but I do feel really proud of the team and the engine side as well. The guys really have done an amazing job. So, from that side, I'm very happy to be working with them. I just wish that I enjoyed, a little bit more, driving-wise.
"But still, they've done an incredible job to be where we are, to be fighting with McLaren, with the Mercedes engine. I think if we improve a little bit, we can fight a little bit further up front and then suddenly, of course, the world looks a bit better.
"The rules are still the same, but the world does look a bit better in terms of how competitive we are. I hope, of course, that within a few races we can take a little step forward."
Formula 1 heads to Shanghai for the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season at the Chinese Grand Prix from this Friday, live on Your Site F1.
