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Hamilton and Senna Stand Out as ‘Odd’ F1 Champions After Verstappen’s Nurburgring Race
Highlights
- Max Verstappen joined 28 F1 champions in 24-hour endurance races.
- Only Niki Lauda and Verstappen raced at Nurburgring 24 Hours.
- Verstappen led before driveshaft failure ended Nurburgring race early.
- Seven F1 champions, including Hamilton and Senna, never raced 24-hour events.
- Twenty-two champions competed at Le Mans, most popular 24-hour race.
Max Verstappen’s recent start in the Nürburgring 24 Hours places him in a small group of Formula 1 title winners to tackle round-the-clock racing.
He becomes the 28th F1 world champion to contest a 24-hour event, underlining how few of the 35 champions diversify into endurance competition.
Among F1 titleholders, only Niki Lauda had previously started the Nürburgring 24. Verstappen led early before a driveshaft failure forced retirement for the #3 entry.
Verstappen became the 28th F1 world champion to contest a 24-hour race.
The setback reflects endurance racing’s volatility, where reliability and traffic management can overturn outright pace, even for elite single-seater drivers.
Only seven F1 champions have never entered a 24-hour race. That list includes Lewis Hamilton, Ayrton Senna, and Sebastian Vettel, despite Vettel’s Porsche test mileage.
Only Lauda and Verstappen have started the Nürburgring 24 Hours among F1 champions.
Within the 28 who have tried at least one 24-hour race, Le Mans is the clear draw. Twenty-two champions have competed at the French endurance classic.
The Spa 24 Hours and Daytona 24 Hours each count seven champion participants. No driver has contested all four majors, though 12 have entered at least two.
Seven F1 champions, including Hamilton and Senna, have never raced a 24-hour event.
Collectively, these crossover drivers account for 22 individual F1 titles and more than 300 grand prix victories, bringing formidable credentials to long-distance racing.
Endurance outings often serve as development tools, widening skill sets and offering alternative career pathways as regulations and technologies converge across series.
Verstappen’s Nürburgring run sustains a lineage from Fangio, Hawthorn, and Graham Hill, reinforcing the modern synergy between F1 performance and endurance racecraft.
Visual Summary
🏆
35 F1 Champions
35 F1 Champions
Dark: 24h entrants
Faded: never
Verstappen
Nürburgring ’24h
⏱️
24-Hour Endurance
24-Hour Endurance
🏁 Le Mans
22
🌧️ Spa
7
🏙️ Daytona
7
🌲 Nürburgring
2
22
🌧️ Spa
7
🏙️ Daytona
7
🌲 Nürburgring
2
Le Mans is king
Lauda & Verstappen: Nürburgring only
7 Champions never went 24h
Hamilton, Senna, Vettel & more – true sprinters only
Hamilton, Senna, Vettel & more – true sprinters only
Endurance Highlights –>
22
F1 Titles among “crossover” drivers
300+
Total Grand Prix wins
by these multi-discipline stars
by these multi-discipline stars
Endurance
is a marathon…
is a marathon…
Even F1’s best face heartbreak and heroics.
Verstappen led, then retired in his Nürburgring debut.
The bridge between F1 and endurance is exclusive, dramatic—and still growing.
Verstappen led, then retired in his Nürburgring debut.
The bridge between F1 and endurance is exclusive, dramatic—and still growing.
Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.
