Max Verstappen issues defiant ‘we’ll be back’ Nürburgring 24 Hours proclamation
Originally published by Motorsportweek
Max Verstappen is keen to return to the Nürburgring Nordschleife for a second bite of the cherry after cruelling missing out on winning the 24 hour endurance behemoth this year.
Verstappen made his 24 Hours of Nürburgring debut last weekend.
The 28-year-old put up a stellar effort alongside his #3 Verstappen Racing team-mates Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella.
In fact, the quartet were in a comfortable 30+ seconds lead heading into the final four hours of the race before the driveshaft on their Mercedes AMG GT3 gave up.
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Rejoining in the final phases of the event, the 28-year-old took the chequered flag in 38th.
But despite this cruel twist of fate, the four-time Formula 1 World Champion is keen to return to the Green Hell and set the record straight.
“Of course, I will for sure try,” he said when asked if he plans to return to the 24 Hour race next year.
That said, Verstappen issued an important caveat. Given the 24-race calendar he needs to accommodate with F1, he will return only if his schedule permits so.
“It always depends a bit on my schedule,” he added.
Max Verstappen enjoyed his debut endurance run at the Nürburgring
Notwithstanding the late heartbreak, Verstappen was adamant that the overall experience was one filled with enjoyment.
“I enjoy the competition, the endurance-style racing where you share with teammates, the 24-hour race here, the track is super challenging,” he asserted. “It’s just the whole combo.”
The Red Bull driver also responded to a social media post by his team-mate Gounon, who has seemingly taken this loss harder than the Dutchman.
Geeing the Frenchman up, Verstappen wrote, “We will be back mate.”
Verstappen will be getting back to his F1 duties, though, at the Canadian GP this weekend.
With a Sprint weekend in the offing, Verstappen will be hoping to build on a positive yet dogged weekend for the Milton-Keynes-based team at the Miami International Autodrome, two weeks ago.