One of the most anticipated motor racing events of the year, ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, saw the debut of F1 star Max Verstappen. His presence led to increased hype around the race, helping it attract over 738K live viewers and end among 2026's five most popular sports livestreams.
What is the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring?
The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026 is an endurance race in the mould of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Many consider it the toughest 24-hour race in the world, and multiple-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen's presence added to the hype this year.
Some of the most legendary endurance racers in the world, including grand tourer (GT) racing standouts Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer, were part of the 2026 line-up. These drivers and their teams had to battle day and night for a full 24 hours at one of the most iconic races in motorsport.
For those interested in deeper insights into the live-streaming industry, Streams Charts aggregates statistics from major platforms including YouTube, Twitch and Kick. A PRO subscription provides access to data from over 60 million channels across multiple services.
What makes these endurance races so tough is the relentless challenges drivers and their teams face on the track. The Nürburgring is famous for its twists, elevation changes and ever-changing conditions that can shift from clear skies to rain or fog in an instant, so finishing the race in 24 hours becomes all the more difficult.
Max Verstappen's performance at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026
Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen came within touching distance of victory before mechanical problems set in. Nevertheless, his participation was a reason for a sold-out crowd.
Despite an early scare that saw him clip a bump and slide onto the grass with his #3 Mercedes-AMG, the Dutch star quickly established himself as one of the fastest and most composed drivers in the field. By Sunday morning, Max was less than four hours from victory. However, his car was sidelined by mechanical failure as he finished his maiden stint around the iconic Nordschleife circuit in bittersweet fashion.
The eventual winner turned out to be Mercedes-AMG, which ended its ten-year winless streak at the event. The No. 80 Team Ravenol (Winward Racing), consisting of drivers Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz, stood atop the podium at the end of a gruelling 24 hours.
Viewership statistics from the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026
According to Streams Charts, the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026 hit 759,480 Peak Viewers (PV) towards the end, when the race winners were decided. While it fell short of touching 1 million concurrent viewers on Kick and YouTube, the race still ended as the fifth-most popular sports-related livestream of the year across all livestreaming platforms.
Another recent German event, Cyborg Season Ultra 600, holds the top spot with 2.8 million live viewers. This endurance marathon by Arda Saatçi became the most successful Red Bull event across livestreaming platforms in terms of audience engagement.
The above Red Bull event also tops the 2026 watch time table with 26.2 million Hours Watched (HW). The 24-hour Nürburgring race comes second here and is the only other sports category competition to surpass the 10 million watch hours mark.
Most-watched and popular sports events livestreamed in 2026 (Jan to May 18)
Most of the viewership for the 24h Nürburgring 2026 was concentrated on the official ADAC channel. Both of its official language channels, for German and English, passed 260K Peak Viewers, with the official Red Bull Motorsports channel finishing as the second-best entry by HW and PV.
Overall, it was a successful debut for Max Verstappen, whose presence was an audience driver as well. The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026 also proved that sporting events on livestreaming continue to attract high viewership, and it remains to be seen which other events in this category do well in the second half of the year.
Header image via intercontinentalgtchallenge
