Verstappen rules out 2027 Le Mans bid but targets Spa and Nurburgring 24-hour races

Max Verstappen has ruled out competing at the 2027 Le Mans 24 Hours, but the four-time Formula 1 world champion says he is likely to contest the 24-hour races at the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps next season. The Red Bull driver made the comments on Wednesday in Baku.

“Nurburgring and Spa, probably. Le Mans, not. That’s not on my list for now,” Verstappen said.

The recently published 2027 F1 calendar had opened a window for drivers to pursue major endurance events, with the Nurburgring, Le Mans, and Spa 24-hour races all falling on off-weekends. Spa’s organiser SRO even built in date flexibility — moving the event’s official two-day test to 15-16 June to avoid a direct F1 clash — in the hope of attracting high-profile names.

Le Mans, however, presents a more complicated picture for Verstappen. The French classic is scheduled for 12-13 June, sandwiched between the Monaco and Portugal rounds, and the mandatory pre-event test day falls on the same weekend as Monaco — a conflict that has effectively ended any prospect of a 2027 debut at La Sarthe.

Fernando Alonso, a two-time Le Mans winner with Toyota, had floated the idea of sharing a car with Verstappen at the event. “I don’t think next year that will happen, but maybe in the future. That would be nice,” Alonso said. “Max [needs to be] a little bit more free on the calendar. There are a lot of races.”

Reigning world champion Lando Norris is also keeping Le Mans on his longer-term radar. Last week the Briton completed a test of McLaren’s brand-new Hypercar at Portimao, though he was careful to frame it as an exploratory exercise rather than a commitment.

“The test was nice to go and do something,” Norris said. “All my focus is still on F1 and will always be. I’ll never sacrifice something in F1 for something else. If there’s a chance that things can work out, maybe, but I don’t know if this is next year, the year after, three years, four years — I have no idea. It’s not something I’ve been thinking about at all, but it’s something I would like to do in the future.”

For Verstappen, the Nurburgring holds particular appeal after an unfinished chapter. His car retired from the lead of this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hours with mechanical issues, and the Dutchman has made clear he wants to go back and complete the job.