Motoring
Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon: Verstappen's team under scrutiny
Four drivers will share the cockpit of the number 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo at the 2026 24h Nürburgring. Who are Max Verstappen's team-mates? Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
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When Max Verstappen climbs into the cockpit of the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nürburgring 24h race on 16 May 2026, he will not be doing so alone. He will be joined by three experienced GT professionals in the endurance classic: Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer. Who are these men and what do they bring to the Nordschleife?
- Experience every moment of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring live on Red Bull TV with German commentary and be there when history is being made.
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Lucas Auer: The Austrian with racing DNA
- Birthday: 11 September 1994, Tyrol/Austria
- Nephew of Formula 1 legend Gerhard Berger
- Mercedes-AMG works driver
- 167 DTM races, eleven victories, DTM runner-up in 2022
- GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup winner 2023 (together with Maro Engel)
- Nordschleife experience through several NLS appearances
Verstappen and Lucas Auer proved they can be competitive at the Nürburgring
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Austrian Lucas Auer is an old acquaintance on the German motorsport scene. The Tyrolean-born racing driver competed 167 times in the DTM between 2015 and 2025, finishing at the top of the podium eleven times. His motorsport career began back in 2001 at the age of seven and - as is so often the case - in karting. In 2011, Lucas Auer switched to formula racing and won the title in the JK Racing Asia Series in his very first season.
However, 2013 was a particularly important year for the Austrian: at the same time as competing in the European Formula 3 Championship, Auer got his first taste of endurance racing and competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). He has been a permanent fixture in the DTM since 2015, where he was crowned runner-up in 2022.
Lucas Auer will also be competing for the Landgraf team again in the 2026 DTM season. Just like Jules Gounon, Auer's team-mate for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, who will be racing for Winward Racing.
For Verstappen Racing, he is the perfect man for the long nights on the Nordschleife: experienced, consistent, fast. Fun fact: Lucas Auer is the nephew of former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger.
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Dani Juncadella: The Spaniard with the killer instinct
- Birthday: 7 May 1991, Barcelona/Spain
- Former Red Bull Junior
- Macau Grand Prix winner 2011, Formula 3 European Champion 2012
- DTM driver for Mercedes-AMG from 2013 to 2019
- GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion 2022, Intercontinental GT Challenge champion 2022
- Was a test and replacement driver for Force India in Formula 1
Red Bull Team ABT und ABT Sportsline bei den 24h Nürburgring 2025
© Sebastian Kraft / Red Bull Content Pool
For Daniel Juncadella Perez-Sala, the Spanish racing driver's full name, the Nürburgring Nordschleife is an old favourite. Last year, he competed for Red Bull Team ABT in the Nürburgring 24 Hours and was in a promising position with his team-mates in the ABT Lambo with the #27, before a gearbox failure one and a half hours before the finish put a premature end to the race to catch up in sixth place.
Daniel Juncadella was born in Barcelona on 7 May 1991. His path into motorsport began early in karting. He comes from a family that is deeply rooted in motorsport, with a father (Javier Juncadella) and uncles who were also racing drivers. In 2008, he was accepted onto the Red Bull development programme, bringing him full circle to Verstappen Racing.
The Spaniard achieved fame in Germany primarily in the DTM, in which he was active between 2013 and 2019, as well as in 2021. His greatest success in the most important German racing series was a victory in Zandvoort in the 2018 season.
Career highlights include winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2011, the FIA European Formula 3 Championship and the Masters of Formula 3 in 2012. He has long been a mainstay in GT racing, winning championships in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2022.
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Jules Gounon: The Frenchman who wins everywhere
- Birthday: 31 December 1994, Aubenas/France
- Son of ex-Formula 1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon
- ADAC GT Masters champion 2017, 24h Spa winner 2017
- Two overall victories 24h Spa, Bathurst 12 Hour three times, Daytona GTD Pro winner 2023
- Multiple title winner: Intercontinental GT Challenge, GT World Challenge Europe
- Will also drive the Alpine LMDh prototype in the FIA WEC in 2026
Perhaps the least well-known name in Max Verstappen's team in Germany is Frenchman Jules Gounon, although the Aubenas-born racing driver has also been active in the DTM since 2024, where he made his debut on the last race weekend of the season finale at the Hockenheimring. In 2025, however, he was able to complete the entire championship for Winward Racing and finished on the podium three times.
Jules Jean-Louis Gounon is also the son of former Formula 1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon. So the racing driver genes run in the family. The fact that he was only allowed to start racing at the age of 15 did not slow him down - that is comparatively late for a racing driver.
However, his record in motorsport is absolutely impressive. It includes two overall victories at the 24 Hours of Spa (2017 and 2022), three triumphs at the Bathurst 12 Hour and a victory in the GTD Pro class at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. Gounen also has a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring to his name. He therefore not only brings speed to the 24-hour race on the Nordschleife, but also experience on this very track.
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Team Verstappen: A dream team on the Nordschleife
One thing is clear: four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has brought a wealth of experience into the cockpit for his debut at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Auer, Juncadella and Gounon have combined experience in hundreds of world-class GT races. Including titles in the most important GT series in the world.
Max Verstappen buckles up at the Nürburgring
© Gruppe C GmbH/Red Bull Content Pool
The 24h Nürburgring is a race that has long been on my bucket list.
The car starts with the number 3, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Red Bull livery competes in the SP9 class. The race weekend begins on Thursday, 14 May, when starting positions will be determined in several sessions around the circuit and the teams will have the opportunity to refine their set-up, even at night. Top qualifying will take place on Friday, with the fastest cars deciding pole position and the front rows of the grid in short shootouts.
After the final system checks in the warm-up, Verstappen and his team-mates will start the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, where they will line up in a full field of different classes. The race starts on 16 May 2026 at 15:00. Watch live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.
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