Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen will check off one of his “bucket list” events to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race.

The Red Bull F1 driver, 28, will get behind the wheel of a Mercedes AMG GT at the May event, when the showroom-style cars lap the famous 15.8-mile circuit in Germany’s Eifel mountains.

The Dutchman, who finished sixth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, said: “Nürburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There is no other track like it. The Nurburgring 24 Hours is a race that has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really excited that we can now make it a reality.”

It’s very rare for an F1 driver, especially of Verstappen’s caliber, to take part in a lower level motorsports event, but he has long enjoyed driving in motorsports simulator games and has a particular affinity for sports car racing.

It is widely considered that Verstappen could one day he will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,, external an event that has grown in popularity in recent years thanks to the introduction of new ‘hypercar’ regulations, which have seen the likes of Ferrari, Peugeot, Aston Martin and Ford return to the top tier of sports cars.

The revered Nurgburgring 24 Hours is a level below races like Le Mans, which is part of the World Endurance Championship. which last week announced that it will postpone the 1,812-kilometer season-opening race in Qatar due to the war between the United States and Israel against Iran., external

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but had previously been linked to the Mercedes F1 programme.

The 24 Hours of Nurburgring will take place from May 16 to 17, between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix.