Helmut Marko has confirmed that Max Verstappen will be allowed to enter the Nurburgring 24 Hour endurance race next season after securing his license ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, however, is off the table for the time being.

Verstappen spent his time off between his remarkable Italian Grand Prix victory and this weekend's trip to Azerbaijan at the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, earning his B license, which will allow him to compete in Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) events moving forward. This includes the 24 Hours of Nurburgring endurance race, which Verstappen has long been interested in competing in. The four-time Formula One world champion is now eligible to race GT3 cars in the event, and crucially, he has the backing of Red Bull chief Helmut Marko to do so.

"Yes, I think it's great that a Formula One driver, who has many obligations in addition to the races - simulator, marketing and PR dates - takes the time for such a thing with a huge enthusiasm," Marko told German outlet RTL.

He added: "This German procedure, which a four-time world champion has to prove that he can drive around the ring with a 240bhp Porsche, is unique. But he took it all on himself, although he must have already shot 1000 laps in the simulator around the Nürburgring. So he didn't come unprepared."

While Verstappen's endurance racing pursuits are supported by Red Bull, their backing has its limits. "Le Mans is not in the program," Marko ruled. "Le Mans is a different story. The speed differences and the different categories are even bigger. For the time being, long distance is only the Nurburgring."

Marko may be unwilling to free Verstappen up to compete in endurance racing's most prestigious event, but the 27-year-old has one eye on the World Endurance Championship's flagship race.

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Speaking to RacingNews365 about his conversations with Verstappen, Red Bull simulator driver Sebastian Buemi revealed: "He's passionate. He asked me a lot about Formula E [and] we spoke about WEC.

"Obviously, I remember I used to talk about the weight between the drivers being a factor also for him to compete, which has been adjusted with the average of the three drivers. It's not ideal yet. Obviously, if you are heavy, it's still a bit of an issue.

"But that was something he wanted to be clear and amended before he would take part. But I'm sure, Formula One is extremely heavy. It's a heavy schedule. It's very difficult to commit to do Le Mans. But I know it's just a matter of time until he actually does it."