Max Verstappen has ruled out a 2027 Le Mans debut, but the four-time F1 World Champion is targeting the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours instead.

Verstappen closes the door on a 2027 Le Mans debut

Max Verstappen has ruled out competing in the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The decision comes despite the race falling on a weekend without Formula 1. Verstappen confirmed his plans in Baku on Wednesday, saying that the Nürburgring and Spa are more likely options for his 2027 endurance programme.

“Nürburgring and Spa, probably. Le Mans, not. It’s not on my list at the moment,” Verstappen said.

That leaves the Dutchman with two major 24-hour races on his agenda.

Both also fit around the recently announced 2027 F1 calendar.

Verstappen wants another opportunity at the Nürburgring after losing the 2026 race because of a late mechanical failure.

The 2027 24 Hours of Nürburgring is scheduled for May 27-30. That puts it before the Monaco Grand Prix, which will take place from June 4-6.

For Verstappen, the event has particular importance.

Nürburgring remains a priority for Verstappen

Verstappen made his Nürburgring 24 Hours debut in 2026 with Verstappen Racing and Mercedes-AMG.

He shared the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The car was leading the race deep into the event before a late technical failure ended its challenge.

The result did not change Verstappen’s opinion of the circuit.

After the race, he said he wanted to return. The Dutchman later confirmed that he would try again depending on his schedule.

That opportunity is now available.

The 2027 Nürburgring date does not conflict with an F1 Grand Prix. It also gives Verstappen several weeks before Monaco to complete the endurance event without immediately moving into another F1 weekend.

Verstappen continued to build his experience in GT3 machinery during the 2026 Nürburgring programme.

The 2026 programme also gave Verstappen valuable experience on the Nordschleife.

He raced in preparation events before the 24-hour classic and won the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie with the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

That experience is one reason the Nürburgring remains an attractive option for 2027.

Spa is another endurance target

The second race on Verstappen’s radar is the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The Belgian endurance classic is scheduled for June 24-27, 2027. It falls between the Portuguese Grand Prix on June 18-20 and the British Grand Prix on July 2-4.

That makes Spa a realistic option from a calendar perspective.

Verstappen had already expressed interest in competing at Spa. In 2026, he said he would have liked to race there if the event had not clashed with Formula 1.

The 2027 schedule removes that direct conflict.

The Spa programme would also be another step for Verstappen Racing, his own GT3 operation.

The team competed at the 2026 24 Hours of Spa with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO driven by Daniel Juncadella, Chris Lulham and Jules Gounon. Verstappen himself could not take part because of the F1 calendar conflict.

That situation changes in 2027.

The official F1 calendar places the Austrian Grand Prix on July 9-11 and the Belgian Grand Prix on July 23-25. Spa’s 24-hour race therefore sits between F1 weekends.

Why Le Mans remains different

Le Mans presents a more complicated challenge.

The 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans runs from June 9-13, with the race itself taking place on June 12-13.

The 2027 F1 calendar places Monaco on June 4-6 and Portugal on June 18-20. So the main 24-hour race does not directly overlap with a Grand Prix.

However, Le Mans requires a much broader commitment than the race itself.

Its race week begins days before the 24-hour contest. There are also preparation and track activities that make the event significantly more demanding for a driver coming directly from an F1 season.

For now, Verstappen has decided that the commitment is not one he wants to make in 2027.

Verstappen’s focus remains split between F1 and GT3

The Dutchman’s endurance plans do not mean that Formula 1 is becoming secondary.

Verstappen remains focused on his F1 programme while developing his GT3 activities outside the championship. His Nürburgring and Spa plans fit into a calendar that was specifically arranged without direct clashes on those weekends.

That gives him the possibility to compete in major endurance events without sacrificing an F1 Grand Prix.

For now, the plan is therefore becoming clearer.

Le Mans is off the 2027 list. Nürburgring and Spa are the races Verstappen is considering.

The Nürburgring is already confirmed for May 27-30, 2027, while Spa is scheduled for June 24-27. Whether Verstappen ultimately enters both events will depend on his final schedule and preparations.

Honda has made progress with the drivability of its 2026 power unit, but Baku will provide a demanding test for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso.

Honda sees progress with its 2026 F1 engine

Honda believes it is moving in the right direction with one of the biggest weaknesses of its 2026 Formula 1 power unit.

The Japanese manufacturer has spent the season working on drivability. That means improving how smoothly and predictably the engine delivers torque when the driver gets back on the throttle.

According to Honda trackside chief and power-unit engineer Shintaro Orihara, Aston Martin’s drivers have provided increasingly positive feedback after several rounds of development. Honda also says it has seen good signs in the data from recent calibration changes.

The next test comes in Baku, where the characteristics of the circuit could make drivability particularly important.

Fernando Alonso drives the Aston Martin AMR26 during the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.

Honda introduced its Spec 2 power unit at the Dutch Grand Prix. The update was intended to address earlier reliability problems and improve performance.

The team then continued working on the calibration of the engine.

Honda says that, over the three races after the Spec 2 introduction, it has made progress in drivability. During the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the manufacturer also reported positive signs from its calibration work.

The improvement is important because drivability affects much more than peak engine power.

Why drivability matters to Alonso

A Formula 1 driver needs to know exactly how much torque will arrive when the throttle is opened.

An unpredictable response can make the car harder to control. It can also force the driver to be more conservative when accelerating out of a corner.

That is especially important on a circuit like Baku.

The Baku City Circuit combines a very long main straight with slow corners and a narrow old-town section. Formula 1 describes it as a track that requires teams to balance aerodynamic downforce against straight-line efficiency.

The first corner is also a 90-degree turn reached after braking from around 350 km/h. The castle section is much narrower and leaves very little room for mistakes.

That combination puts extra emphasis on a predictable throttle response.

Honda’s RA626H is the power unit developed for its first F1 season with Aston Martin under the 2026 regulations.

Honda has already experienced circuits where throttle response and energy management exposed the car’s weaknesses.

At Silverstone, Orihara said Aston Martin received positive feedback from Alonso about drivability consistency and energy management. Honda also reported similar progress at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Those comments provide useful context for the current work.

The problem has not disappeared completely. Instead, Honda has been trying to make the power delivery more consistent while preserving the performance gains from the updated engine.

Baku will reveal how much progress was made

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix offers a very different environment from Madrid.

The circuit is 6.003 kilometers long and includes 51 laps. Its long straight rewards low drag, while its slow corners demand strong traction and accurate throttle control.

That creates a useful test for Honda.

If the power delivery is more predictable, Alonso and Lance Stroll should have greater confidence when accelerating out of the slow corners. That confidence can be especially valuable when the barriers are close to the racing line.

Honda has also continued working with Aston Martin on energy management.

The partnership is still in its first season, and both sides are using each weekend to better understand how the RA626H and AMR26 behave together. Honda has described 2026 as an important learning year for its new partnership with the team.

Honda and Aston Martin are continuing to optimize the interaction between the RA626H power unit and the AMR26 chassis.

There is also a development limit to consider.

The focus is already shifting toward 2027, so Honda is unlikely to introduce another major performance package this season. The priority now is to maximize the hardware already available and improve its operation through calibration and setup work.

That makes the remaining races more about extracting performance than introducing completely new concepts.

Honda wants confidence, not just more power

The latest developments suggest that Honda’s goal is not simply to increase peak output.

Instead, the manufacturer wants Alonso and Stroll to have a more predictable power delivery. That can allow both drivers to attack corners with greater confidence.

The difference can be small on a dyno but important on a street circuit.

In Baku, every throttle application matters. A small hesitation or an unexpected torque response can cost time while also forcing the driver to leave more margin near the walls.

Honda therefore arrives in Azerbaijan with a clear technical objective.

The Honda F1 engine drivability issue is showing signs of improvement, but Baku will provide a much tougher examination because of its long straights, slow corners and narrow sections.

For Aston Martin, the target is simple: make the progress visible on track and give Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll a power unit they can trust when the throttle is opened.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on September 26, with practice beginning on September 24.

Kimi Antonelli leads the 2026 Formula 1 standings by 81 points and could mathematically secure his maiden World Championship as early as the Singapore Grand Prix.

Antonelli has the title within mathematical reach

Kimi Antonelli has held the lead of the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship since the Japanese Grand Prix. His victory in Spain strengthened that advantage and moved the Mercedes driver closer to his first world title.

After 14 rounds, Antonelli has 292 points. George Russell is second with 211, while Lewis Hamilton sits third with 191. That gives Antonelli an 81-point lead over Russell and a 101-point advantage over Hamilton.

Kimi Antonelli remains at the top of the 2026 Drivers’ Championship after 14 rounds.

There are 233 points still available to a driver who wins every remaining Grand Prix and the Singapore Sprint.

That means the championship is not mathematically over. However, Antonelli already has enough of a cushion to create several possible title-clinching scenarios.

The official F1 calculations show that the earliest possible clinching point is Round 17 in Singapore.

Eight other drivers remain mathematically alive

Antonelli is not the only driver who can still win the championship on paper.

The list includes George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson.

The situation is very different across the standings.

Drivers farther down the order would need Antonelli to stop scoring entirely. They would also need their own results to remain strong enough to pass his current total of 292 points.

Under those mathematical conditions, Russell could first become champion in São Paulo. Hamilton, Norris and Leclerc could do it in Las Vegas. Verstappen and Piastri would have to wait until Qatar.

That shows how large Antonelli’s current advantage has become.

Singapore is Antonelli’s earliest possible title venue

The earliest possible championship clincher comes at the Singapore Grand Prix.

To make that happen, Antonelli would need to win Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Singapore, while also winning the Singapore Sprint. At the same time, Russell would have to score zero points across those events.

That extreme combination would give Antonelli a total of 375 points.

Russell would then be 164 points behind.

With only 150 points remaining after Singapore, Russell would no longer be able to catch his Mercedes team-mate.

Antonelli took control of the championship after winning in Japan earlier in the 2026 season.

The scenario is extreme, but it establishes the earliest mathematical date.

The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on October 9-11, according to the official 2026 F1 calendar.

The Azerbaijan and Bahrain rounds come immediately before it. Bahrain will be held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia in the revised 2026 calendar.

That creates a demanding three-race sequence before the championship calculation reaches Singapore.

A more realistic scenario points to Mexico

There is another calculation that produces a later title-clinching date.

F1’s data team also looked at what would happen if Antonelli and Russell continued around their median finishing positions from the season so far. Antonelli’s average finishing position is currently P1, while Russell’s is 3.5.

Under that model, Antonelli would first become champion at Round 19 in Mexico.

The calculation gives him a 112-point advantage at that stage.

Russell would then have too few points available in the remaining rounds to mathematically close the gap.

Antonelli has built his championship lead through a string of strong results during his second Formula 1 season.

The difference between the two scenarios is important.

Singapore is the earliest mathematical possibility. Mexico is the projected clinching point in the median-finish scenario.

Neither scenario guarantees what will happen on track. The first is based on a highly specific set of results, while the second depends on the continuation of the season’s median finishing patterns.

The championship still has several races ahead, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Singapore, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Antonelli therefore remains in control of the mathematical equation, but the exact date of his first Formula 1 world championship will depend on how the remaining races unfold.

For now, the Kimi Antonelli 2026 title calculation is clear: he can become World Champion at the earliest in Singapore, while the median-results model points to Mexico as the next major possibility.