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Formula One icon Max Verstappen will take part in his first around the clock race this weekend at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The Dutch star will be taking on the formidable track that, since 1928, has tragically claimed the lives of 70 professional drivers. This year, 161 cars have been entered to tackle the 15,769-mile long circuit that Scottish racing legend Jackie Stewart once branded "the Green Hell".

Located in the town of Nurburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, it's regarded by many as the world's toughest racing track. It was even used by F1 until 1976 when Austrian racing legend Niki Lauda suffered his infamous accident on the circuit, which left him with life-threatning burns. With 73 corners, the north loop of the circuit is almost 13 miles long and contains more than 300 metres of unpredictable elevation. Even to this day, the track is still taking lives. Juha Miettinen, 66, from Finland, died while racing at the feared track in April this year, following a multi-car collision that also injured several others.

Unlike the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which mixes permanent tracks and public roads, this race takes place on the Nurburgring Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit, two distinct circuits located at the same motorsport complex.

Over 200,000 fans are expected to attend this weekend's race, camping in the nearby woods surrounding the track and watching on from the sidelines, only maximising the danger.

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Originally, the track featured four configurations. However, in 1982, a new Grand Prix course, known as GP-Strecke, was created and is now used for all major and international racing events.

Since opening in 1927, before many modern-day safety standards existed, the track has also been used by the public. Essentially, anyone with a road-legal vehicle can access the Nordschleife, which bypasses the modern GP-Strecke track.

The deadly road is open every day from mid-March through to mid-November, except when racing takes place. Although drivers are forced to pay a toll for use.

However, the track's perilous conditions mean that any form of racing from non-professionals is strictly forbidden. Drivers' insurance coverage is often voided too, leaving those who undertake it liable for damage. Many drivers often end up needing roadside assitance with there being around 80-90 crashes annually on the circuit.

In 2004, former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson claimed the circuit as "the most difficult and dangerous in the world" and said that over 200 people had died on the road. His warning came after he took on the track with the late German racing driver Sabine Schmitz in 2004, when he attempted to blitz it in under 10 minutes.

Since becoming a four-time F1 world champion at the end of 2024, Verstappen has taken aim at some of motorsport's biggest events. He has even taken on Nordschleife on six occasions over the past year to prepare for the race.

Speaking in March, he said: "All the big endurance races I want to do, it's something that when I was a kid, my dad was doing them. I don't need to be only an F1 driver, I can also do other things.

"I've done this already for a while, achieved everything I want to achieve so that's why I want to explore other things and I don't want to do them when I'm 40 years old. Now is the perfect age to do it."

True to his F1 roots, Verstappen will be racing in a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The action will get underway at 2pm on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.