Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Max Verstappen will make his first start in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on 16-17 May in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, and Juan Pablo Montoya believes that will not sit well with Ford so soon after its new Formula 1 partnership with Red Bull began.
Verstappen is using the gap between the Miami and Canada rounds in the early 2026 F1 season to race on the Nordschleife, where he will share the Mercedes with Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon. It will be his first 24-hour race, even though he has already competed in endurance events at the Nürburgring.
The awkward point, in Montoya's view, is not Verstappen's extra racing itself but the badge on the car. Ford returned to Formula 1 this year alongside Red Bull under the Red Bull Powertrains banner, which makes a high-profile outing in Mercedes machinery an uncomfortable look for Red Bull's lead driver.
Speaking to Betpack, former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya said the optics would be difficult from Ford's side. "If I were the big boss at Ford I wouldn't be happy to see Verstappen at the Nurburgring advertising Mercedes," Montoya said.
He went further by suggesting Red Bull and Ford should try to steer Verstappen toward different GT3 equipment. "If I were Red Bull and Ford, I would pressure Max not to drive a Mercedes, but a Ford GT3 or something like that," Montoya said, arguing that racing a Mercedes in the GT ranks amounts to promoting a rival manufacturer.
The Nürburgring entry is not an isolated case. The summaries indicate Verstappen has already raced Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery in Nürburgring events this season, including the Nürburgring Qualifiers. In 2025, he raced a Ferrari 296 GT3 entered by Emil Frey Racing at the circuit, showing that his GT programme outside Formula 1 is becoming a regular part of his schedule.
That is what gives Montoya's criticism more weight. This is not just a one-weekend appearance in another category, but a visible run of GT outings by Red Bull's star driver in cars unconnected to Ford at the same time Ford is beginning its F1 alliance with the team.