Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen will miss four races in 2026 due to scheduling conflicts between his F1 commitments and endurance racing. These absences, known as Max Verstappen 2026 absences, stem from clashes between the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) events and Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.
Verstappen’s Next Steps in Endurance Racing Affected by Schedule Overlaps
On Saturday at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Verstappen secured a commanding victory alongside teammate Chris Lulham in the 57th ADAC Barbarossapreis during the ninth round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie. Driving an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, Verstappen won by a margin of 24.496 seconds over second-place finisher Jann Mardenborough after recently obtaining his DMSB Permit A. However, this may be Verstappen’s final GT3 race for some time as the demands of his F1 career take precedence.
Verstappen’s decision to prioritize Formula 1 is clear for the 2026 season, where most NLS races coincide with F1 race weekends. Specifically, Verstappen is set to miss the NLS1 round on March 14, which overlaps with the China Grand Prix; NLS2 on March 28, clashing with the Japanese Grand Prix; NLS3 on April 11, facing the Bahrain Grand Prix; and both NLS4 and NLS5, which coincide with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.
Implications for the Nurburgring 24 Hours and Later NLS Events
The NLS4 and NLS5 rounds serve as qualifiers for the Nurburgring 24 Hours race held from May 15 to 17, 2026. While these four-hour qualifier races lead up to the main event, participation is not compulsory, and they do not affect the starting grid of the race itself. This means Verstappen’s absence from the qualifiers does not prevent him from competing in the 24-hour event, which fortunately does not clash with any F1 race weekends. It is positioned between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, allowing Verstappen to take part if he chooses.
However, if Verstappen competes at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, he will do so without the benefit of prior preparation in the early NLS rounds. He remains available to race in NLS6 on June 20 and NLS7 on August 1. The later rounds, NLS8 and NLS9, fall on September 12 and 13, which coincide with the inaugural Madrid Grand Prix, and NLS10 overlaps with the Singapore Grand Prix on October 10, likely ruling out his participation in these events.
Future Plans and Uncertainties in GT3 Racing
Verstappen.com Racing has told GPFans that they will announce Max Verstappen’s GT3 racing plans at a later date. The ongoing conflicts highlight the difficulty of balancing commitments between his F1 career and endurance events, leaving fans and analysts eager for clarity on his long-term racing schedule beyond 2025.
This overlap of commitments keeps Verstappen in the spotlight not only within F1 circles, alongside figures such as Christian Horner and George Russell, but also in endurance racing, where his presence had renewed excitement. His decision to miss key NLS rounds demonstrates the challenging trade-offs that come with competing at the highest levels in multiple motorsport disciplines.
