Verstappen 24hr hopes ended by driveshaft after leading

Vertsappen, who is contracted with Red Bull until 2028, was racing in this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours as it took place between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix.

The race features showroom-style cars taking on the famous 15.8-mile circuit in the Eifel mountains in Germany and the 28-year-old had said it had "been on my bucket list for a long time".

There were 161 entries across 23 classes for the race in what was the largest grid in more than 10 years.

Verstappen's involvement had created a lot of interest in the race, with weekend tickets selling out for the first time in the event's history and organisers saying a record 352,000 attended.

The Mercedes of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin claimed the overall victory.

"We had a good start, great stints, the decision for rain tyres at the right moment. We had a two-minute lead over everyone else," said Juncadella.

"Just a dream race, but unfortunately it was three hours too short and three hours too long for us. But that's just the way it is in racing."

Verstappen will now return to F1 and the Canadian Grand Prix, which takes place next weekend.