Estre, K. van der Linde, Verstappen… The main contenders for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring

It's finally time for Max Verstappen to tackle the legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring this weekend. The four-time world champion of Formula 1 sets off to conquer the Green Hell at the wheel of a Mercedes Benz-AMG GT3 from its own team with a five-star crew consisting of Lucas Auer, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

ALSO READ > "He amazed me": Jules Gounon recounts Max Verstappen's GT3 tests

This lineup immediately positions itself as the favorite for victory, despite the Dutchman's inexperience in the event. He will nevertheless have a tough task ahead to add this prestigious race to his list of achievements. Reigning champions Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Kelvin van der Linde return to defend their title in the #1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO. This time, the trio will be joined by Jordan Pepper in place of Jesse Krohn. The Bavarian manufacturer will field other formidable crews on paper, including the #99 ROWE Racing car co-driven by Daniel Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde, and Dries Vanthoor, and the #77 Schubert Motorsport car with Marco Wittmann, Philipp Eng, Charles Weerts, and Robin Frijns.

Verstappen vs Estre: the anticipated duel

Nevertheless, the duel on everyone's lips before this weekend in the Eifel is the anticipated one between Max Verstappen and Frenchman Kévin Estre. The Lyon native will be driving the Porsche Manthey's #911 911 GT3 R, sporting its iconic Grello livery, will be part of a dream team, alongside Ayhancan Güven, Thomas Preining, and Matt Campbell. Another Porsche will field a formidable trio of Laurin Heinrich, Laurens Vanthoor, and Ricardo Feller for Lionspeed.

On the French side, we will also be following Julien Andlauer and Dorian Boccolacci, partners in another Porsche, the No. 17 Dunlop Motorsport entry, alongside Belgian Alessio Picariello and German Nico Menzel. Thomas Neubauer will be teamed with David Perel, Dennis Marschall, and Thierry Vermeulen in a Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo by REALIZE KONDO RACING with Rinaldi. There is no shortage of contenders for victory at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, and many more could claim to win the grueling German race.

See you on Saturday at 16:00 PM for the start of the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.

24 Hours of Nürburgring 2026
The main participants

#1 — ROWE Racing | BMW M4 GT3 EVO
Augusto Farfus 🇧🇷 – Raffaele Marciello 🇨🇭 – Jordan Pepper 🇿🇦 – Kelvin van der Linde 🇿🇦

#3 — Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3
Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 – Lucas Auer 🇦🇹 – Jules Gounon 🇦🇩 – Daniel Juncadella 🇪🇸

#17 — Dunlop Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26
Julien Andlauer 🇫🇷 – Dorian Boccolacci 🇫🇷 – Nico Menzel 🇩🇪 – Alessio Picariello 🇧🇪

#24 — Lionspeed GP | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26
Laurin Heinrich 🇩🇪 – Laurens Vanthoor 🇧🇪 – Ricardo Feller 🇨🇭

#26 — PROsport Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3
Adam Christodoulou 🇬🇧 – Christopher Lulham 🇬🇧 – Mikaël Grenier 🇨🇦 – Marek Böckmann 🇩🇪

#34 — Natural Elements by Walkenhorst Motorsport | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO
Christian Krognes 🇳🇴 – Mattia Drudi 🇮🇹 – Nicki Thiim 🇩🇰 – Felipe Fernandez Laser 🇩🇪

#45 — REALIZE KONDO RACING with Rinaldi | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo26
David Perel 🇿🇦 – Dennis Marschall 🇩🇪 – Thierry Vermeulen 🇳🇱 – Thomas Neubauer 🇫🇷

#69 — Doerr Motorsport | McLaren 720S-GT3
Timo Glock 🇨🇭 – Timo Scheider 🇦🇹 – Ben Dörr 🇩🇪 – Marvin Kirchhöfer 🇨🇭

#77 — Schubert Motorsport | BMW M4 GT3 EVO
Marco Wittmann 🇩🇪 – Philipp Eng 🇦🇹 – Charles Weerts 🇧🇪 – Robin Frijns 🇳🇱

#80 — Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL | Mercedes-AMG GT3
Maro Engel 🇩🇪 – Luca Stolz 🇩🇪 – Fabian Schiller 🇩🇪 – Maxime Martin 🇧🇪

# 84 - Red Bull Team ABT | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2
Luca Engstler 🇩🇪 – Mirko Bortolotti 🇮🇹 – Patric Niederhauser 🇨🇭

#99 — ROWE Racing | BMW M4 GT3 EVO
Daniel Harper 🇬🇧 – Max Hesse 🇩🇪 – Sheldon van der Linde 🇿🇦 – Dries Vanthoor 🇧🇪

#130 — Red Bull Team ABT | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2
Marco Mapelli 🇮🇹 – Nicky Catsburg 🇳🇱 – Nicholas Yelloly 🇬🇧

#911 — Manthey | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26
Kevin Estre 🇫🇷 – Ayhancan Güven 🇹🇷 – Thomas Preining 🇦🇹 – Matt Campbell 🇦🇺

Cyprien Juilhard and Valentin Glo