Nürburgring 24 Hours Sells Out for Verstappen Debut

Max Verstappen's highly anticipated debut in the Nürburgring 24 Hours has driven ticket sales to record levels, forcing organizers to declare the event sold out for the first time in its 50-year history. The four-time Formula 1 world champion will compete this weekend, May 16-17, on the demanding Nordschleife circuit in Germany, known as the Green Hell for its 154 turns and grueling 24-hour format.

Verstappen joins a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO entry in the SP9 GT3 Pro class, fielded by Winward Racing under his Team Verstappen program. He shares driving duties with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The race begins Saturday at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. UK), following qualifying sessions Thursday and Friday, a warmup Saturday morning and a formation lap at 2:40 p.m. local time. Sunday's finish is set for 3 p.m. local.

Organizers confirmed all full-event tickets are exhausted, with only limited single-day access available, primarily due to capacity limits at parking, camping and access roads. "We are delighted by the huge response from longstanding and new fans, who have literally overwhelmed us this year," said race director Walter Hornung. "That is why, for the first time,...