As Motorsport.com reports, Max Verstappen is eyeing the Spa 24 Hours as a likely GT target for 2027. Fresh off a ninth-place finish in the GT World Challenge Europe weekend at Portimao—where he shared the Team Verstappen Mercedes alongside Chris Lulham and Ben Barnicoat—the Red Bull Racing star wants to tackle his home endurance classic.
"It’s my favourite track, of course, so I’m trying to make it work," Verstappen said after the race. "I just need to plan it all well that, of course, when I arrive [I’m] also well prepared. I’m also Belgian, so it’s just nice to be there to do one of the biggest endurance events of the year. I’m going to try my best to be there."
Of course, I got a taste at the Nordschleife for the first time, so I really enjoyed that. To get the first opportunity here now in the GT World Challenge for me is just exciting.
Born in Belgium to former kart racer and mother Sophie Kumpen, the pull of Spa-Francorchamps is deeply personal. The 2027 edition of the Spa 24 Hours is scheduled to run from 24 to 27 June, slotting into the weekend between the Portuguese and British Grands Prix. While the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar also features the Bathurst 12 Hour, the Texas 8 Hour, the Nurburgring 24 Hours and Suzuka, Bathurst is not currently on his radar and Suzuka clashes directly with the Formula 1 schedule.
That leaves the Nurburgring and Spa as his most viable endurance options for 2027. Verstappen previously tasted GT action in May at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on the Nordschleife, where he shared a car with Dani Juncadella, Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon before a late driveshaft issue cruelly dashed their race lead and brought a premature end to their campaign.
Sharing a machine with teammates is a brand-new experience for a driver who has spent his entire professional career in single-seaters. "Sharing the car with team-mates is of course something that I haven’t really done in my life so far," he noted. "Of course, I got a taste at the Nordschleife for the first time, so I really enjoyed that. To get the first opportunity here now in the GT World Challenge for me is just exciting."
Racing at Portimao also pitted him against familiar faces from his karting days, measuring his pace against seasoned professionals. His approach to the discipline is built around steady growth and gaining mileage among the established stars of the sport. For now, however, the grand prix machine takes priority as his focus snaps back to Formula 1 and the upcoming United States Grand Prix following recent victories at Sepang and Singapore.
