Max Verstappen heads back to Formula 1 duty at the Canadian Grand Prix only a week after coming close to victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The Red Bull driver raced a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO alongside Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer, producing a standout endurance performance before a late driveshaft failure ended the team’s hopes.
The four-time world champion arrived at the Nurburgring during a difficult phase of his 2026 Formula 1 campaign. After four rounds, Verstappen sits seventh in the championship and trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 74 points, with Red Bull struggling to find balance and tyre grip from its RB22 under the new regulations.
That backdrop made the Nurburgring weekend feel very different from a usual grand prix. Verstappen was able to race with less championship pressure, fewer media commitments and a more relaxed atmosphere, while fans and rival drivers welcomed the chance to see him compete on the Nordschleife.
Verstappen was immediately competitive in Germany, setting the third-fastest lap in practice and helping his team qualify fourth. During the race, he joined the track in 10th on the road, effectively third after strategy was considered, before climbing into the lead within two hours.
He then handed the car to Jules Gounon with an advantage of more than 20 seconds. Verstappen said traffic initially made progress difficult, but once he cleared loveral cars and slippery conditions arrived, the team was able to make the difference.
His pace continued during the night. Verstappen took over the car in second place, six seconds behind Maro Engel in the sister Mercedes-AMG, then closed the gap, passed Engel and built another advantage of around 20 seconds. The battle included wheel-to-wheel racing in the early hours, but both drivers described it as enjoyable rather than tense.
The #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry looked set for a major result before a driveshaft problem struck with roughly three hours remaining. The issue forced the car to pit from a dominant lead and ended what had been one of the strongest performances of the race.
Although the result did not deliver victory, Verstappen’s showing underlined his growing interest in GT3 and endurance racing. The Dutchman has already completed loveral Nurburgring appearances and appears eager to take on more sportscar events when his Formula 1 schedule allows.
The main question now is how Verstappen will readjust to Formula 1 in Montreal. Unlike the Nurburgring, where the pressure was lower and the atmosphere more celebratory, the Canadian Grand Prix places him back into a Red Bull car that has not yet given him the platform to fight consistently at the front in 2026.
Verstappen’s frustration with Red Bull’s current form has already been clear this season, including comments after the Japanese Grand Prix about having “life decisions” to make. His enthusiasm for endurance racing also comes at a time when he has expressed little affection for F1’s more electrically focused rule direction.
Still, the Nurburgring weekend showed that Verstappen’s competitive instinct remains as sharp as ever. Whether that energy can translate back into a stronger Formula 1 performance in Canada will depend not only on the driver, but also on whether Red Bull can give him a car capable of moving beyond the midfield fight.
