Verstappen opens door to Daytona 24 Hours: ‘I'd love to do it'

Fresh off a thrilling yet heartbreaking GT debut on the Nürburgring’s daunting Nordschleife, Max Verstappen is already casting his gaze toward the next frontier of endurance racing.

The Red Bull driver has officially added the legendary Daytona 24 Hours to his racing bucket list, actively exploring the tantalizing possibility of taking on the American endurance classic, perhaps even as early as January 2027.

Earlier this month, Verstappen dipped his toes into top-tier endurance racing at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, competing at the wheel of a Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The four-time F1 world champion looked poised to capture a spectacular maiden victory on the grueling Nordschleife until a cruel, late-race mechanical failure trapped his car in the garage for the final hours, relegating his squad to a disappointing 38th-place finish.

Far from discouraging the champion, the taste of traffic management and multi-driver strategy has only fueled his fire for more.

While the mechanical heartbreak is still fresh, Verstappen has made it clear that his schedule is locked for the remainder of this calendar year, dismissing any immediate expansion of his sports car exploits.

"Outside the Nordschleife I think not," Verstappen told De Telegraaf when asked if any other GT events are on his radar for the current season.

Shifting the winter routine

By shutting the door on additional races this year, the calendar clears perfectly for a blockbuster assault on the 2027 Daytona 24 Hours. Held annually in late January at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Florida, the event offers a unique, non-clashing window before the grueling Formula 1 season roars to life.

However, committing to the American marathon means sacrificing the quiet cushion of the traditional F1 off-season – a reality the Dutchman is fully weighing.

"If I wanted to do that, I will have to adjust my entire training programme to it, though," Verstappen admitted when discussing the logistics of a Daytona debut.

“Normally I start preparing for the new season in January. I would then have to adjust that. And I will also have to discuss it with my family."

The vision for a double assault

Rather than hunting for overall victory in the premier, high-downforce GTP prototype class, Verstappen's vision for Florida aligns with his burgeoning passion for production-based machinery.

He intends to replicate the multi-class warfare he relished in Germany, targeting a seat in the ultra-competitive GT3 machinery.

"It is an idea at the moment, but not concrete yet. I still have plenty of time to think about it. But I would love to do it. And then again in a GT3 car, I think, not in the fastest GTP class," he explained.

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Should the Daytona plans fall into place, it could set up a spectacular dual-campaign in sports cars for the F1 maestro.

Verstappen remains fiercely determined to settle unfinished business on the historic German asphalt that slipped through his fingers earlier this month.

“And if next year's 24 Hours of Nürburgring falls on a non-Formula 1 weekend again, I would like to be back in action there as well," Verstappen concluded.

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