Red Bull star Max Verstappen has confirmed he will race in the iconic Nurburgring 24 Hours with Mercedes this year.

The Dutch Formula 1 champion has been confirmed to make his debut at the endurance classic on 14-17 May with the factory-supported Winward team, utilising the Verstappen Racing banner. He will be joined in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 by factory drivers Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, and new signing Daniel Juncadella.

The quartet will participate in this month's NLS2 race in preparation. That event has been brought forward by a week to March 21 at Mercedes' request, to allow F1 star Verstappen to take part.

The original date would have seen the race clash with Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on March 21. Verstappen made it clear to Mercedes that he wanted to complete at least one race in NLS to ensure he felt ready for the legendary 24-hour enduro.

"The Nurburgring is a special place," Verstappen said. "There's no other track like it.

"The 24h Nurburgring is a race that's been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm really thrilled we can make it happen now. Last year, I was able to get my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS9, that we won.

"That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS2 and the 24-hour race. We've got a strong line-up with Dani, Jules and Lucas and great support from Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Now it's about putting in the right preparations before the events, so we can maximise everything in the races."

Mercedes customer racing head Stefan Wendl is excited by the prospect of Verstappen's presence. He believes he helps form a balanced driving team.

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"With our performance line-up, we are excellently positioned for the traditionally strong field of the 24h Nurburgring," said Wendl. "Together with RAVENOL and Verstappen Racing, we put together a balanced driver pairing whose different strengths complement each other perfectly.

"We are very proud that Max Verstappen and his team are also part of the AMG line-up. Together with the operational team Winward Racing and tyre partner Michelin, we have analysed the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in detail once again to tap into further performance potential.

"With the start of an intensive test programme in southern Europe at the end of February, the foundation has been laid for a successful outing at the Nurburgring."