Verstappen’s Presence Helps Draw Near-Record Field for N24

Verstappen’s Presence Draws Near-Record Field for N24 Gruppe C Photography When the green flag drops at the Green Hell, it’ll see a field larger than any in 12 years, thanks to the presence of four-time F1 champ Max Verstappen. “With 161 cars entered, this will be the largest starting grid in over a decade—the last time more teams were represented at the endurance classic in the Green Hell was in 2014, with 165 cars,” The ‘Ring said in a statement. Race organizers amended their own rules to pump capacity from the 150-car maximum that had been on the books.

Teams had to agree to even more crowded garages to accommodate the bigger field. Garages at the N24 are already jammed, with several teams sharing garage space on top of each other. You could come up with many reasons for the surge in entries, but, really, it’s the Max Factor.

Who wouldn’t want to say they raced against the F1 hero? Verstappen will drive the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen RacingAMG GT3, pictured below with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon ,and Daniel Juncadella—three teammates who rank among the absolute best, both in terms of their track record and their Nordschleife expertise, N24 said. Last year’s winning ROWE BMW Nurburgring 24 “Together, they form a lineup that is likely to set the benchmark for many competitors,” the ‘Ring said.

If all goes well, it could be the team’s first win on the track. At the Nordschleife Lang Strecke (NLS) season opener, the team initially secured victory before a disqualification due to tire count cost them the win; at the 24h Qualifiers in mid-April, they continued their preparations with further laps in the lead, before a technical fault led to a retirement. But the rest of the field isn’t planning to just roll over and let Max win.