Max Verstappen has named his dream four-driver team for the Le Mans 24-hour, and the Dutchman has left out some notable names.
The annual 24-hour race in Le Mans is arguably the most iconic motor race in any category of motorsport, with anyone who stands on the podium being instantly immortalised into racing legend.
The event sits alongside the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 in the 'triple crown' of motorsport, which effectively makes those three races the most prestigious in the world.
With the race taking 24 hours to complete it isn't shocking to learn a team would need more than one driver to compete, and F1 world champ Max Verstappen has revealed who he would want by his side at the French circuit.
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Alongside himself, Verstappen opened with the surprising choice of fellow Dutch driver, Nyck De Vries, who was actually sacked mid season by Red Bull in 2023 for his lackluster performances for their sister team Alpha Tauri.
However, Verstappen did have a solid explanation for choosing the former FE world champion.
Speaking on Jarno Opmeer's YouTube channel, he explained: "He's fast and he's very light which when you're going around Le Mans is great."
Verstappen then opted for fellow F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, who has already competed in the Indy 500 but failed to make the podium.
"I keep joking with Fernando [Alonso] because we want to do it together so that would be quite cool," he said.
With one choice left, the Dutchman decided to go for an experienced head as he completed his team with his father Jos Verstappen.
"I keep telling my Dad, we have to do it but he doesn't want to but I would still add him in as a fourth," he joked.
Jos Verstappen competed in F1 from 1994-2003 and earned two podiums across 107 race entries.
Verstappen's choices mean the Dutchman snubbed his former championship rival Lewis Hamilton, despite the 39-year-old boasting the best stats in pretty much every aspect of F1.
Although it isn't hard to guess why they might not function particularly well as a team given their recent history.
That could also explain the absence of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who is the current most in-form F1 driver on the grid at the moment. But similarly to Hamilton, Leclerc and Verstappen have quite the rivalry over the years with the pair growing up competing against each other in karting and often making contact.
Topics: Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1
Tom Jenkins