Max Verstappen failed to claim victory on his debut at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring after his team, despite leading for hours, had to retire due to a technical car problem.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Juncadella, Gounon and Auer, and their crew started the race at the German circuit from fourth position after qualifying on Friday.
Great interest in Verstappen’s debut was marked 54th edition of the raceand tickets for the entire weekend were sold out for the first time in the history of the event. The organizers announced that the race was visited a record 352,000 viewers.
Overall victory at the popular “The green hell” took the second Mercedes team consisting of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin, after starting from the 25th position.
#24hNBR – Heartbreak for the #3 💔
After leading large parts of the race with flawless execution, the car was forced into the garage with a broken driveshaft just three hours before the finish. The team is working flat out on repairs, aiming to get back on track for the finale.… pic.twitter.com/T02XePfzLZ
— Mercedes-AMG Motorsport (@amgmotorsport) May 17, 2026
For Mercedes-Benz this is first victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring since 2016, when Engel was also part of the winning team.
Interestingly, it was on May 15, 2016 that Verstappen achieved his first victory in Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Verstappen and his teammates were within touching distance of victory until three hours and 20 minutes before the end of the race, when their car lost speed and had to return to the pits for a longer repair. The crew later returned to the track, but without the possibility of fighting for the top.
The Dutch driver said after the race that he hopes for a new performance at the Nürburgring, depending on his commitments in other competitions, while next weekend his focus shifts to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: Facebook)
