Max Verstappen denied victory at Nürburgring Nordschleife after his Mercedes GT3 team disqualified
F1 Drivers NewsSaturday, 21 March 2026 at 23:01
Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon were stripped of victory in the second round of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Endurance Series after their Mercedes AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry was disqualified for a tyre rule breach.
The trio had crossed the finish line first in the Mercedes AMG GT3 and celebrated what appeared to be their first win of the season. But around 2 hours later, the result was overturned when the technical commission’s routine review of the Tyre App found the team had used 7 sets of tyres on race day instead of the permitted 6.
That left the stewards with little choice but to exclude the car from the final classification, handing victory instead to Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper in the ROWE RACING BMW M4 GT3.
It was a crushing reversal for Verstappen’s team after a strong showing on the Nordschleife, where the car had looked to have sealed a major result on the road before the post-race checks changed everything.
Christian Hohenadel, Team Principal of Winward Racing, admitted the mistake and apologised after the disqualification was confirmed: “The disqualification hurts. Unfortunately, a mistake was made within our team, which forced race control to disqualify the winning car retrospectively."
“It was our first outing as the Mercedes AMG Performance Team on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I would like to apologize to everyone who was cheering us on. We will now analyse the day thoroughly, meticulously prepare for the upcoming races, and work with full concentration towards the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring.”
Exclusion a setback for the Verstappen-backed programme
Not only because the team lost the win but also because the outing had appeared to be an ideal step in the build up to the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Instead, the result now stands as a harsh lesson in the fine margins of endurance racing, where operational discipline matters as much as pace over the 24-kilometre circuit.
For Harper and Pepper, the ruling delivered an unexpected victory. For Verstappen, Juncadella and Gounon, a memorable day at the Ring ended in frustration, with their first win of the campaign erased not by anything on track, but by a costly breach in the pit lane.
Earlier, Verstappen converted pole into victory in the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, leading Mercedes AMG Team Verstappen Racing to a commanding win in a four-hour race that underlined his growing presence beyond Formula 1.
Sharing the Mercedes AMG GT3 with Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon, Verstappen played a decisive role in a faultless execution by the Winward Racing-run entry, securing his second win at the Nordschleife.
This is one of the craziest tracks in the world in a good way
“This whole weekend has been about getting to grips with the car on the Nordschleife. Which, yes, it was super enjoyable,” Verstappen reported on his website. “The team also prepared the car really well, so we could do some decent testing. They made me feel really comfortable with the car. So yeah, really good experience for me.”
Starting from pole, Verstappen initially held the lead before coming under sustained pressure from the Scherer Sport PHX Audi driven by Christopher Haase, who eventually forced his way ahead.
The Red Bull driver stayed glued to the Audi’s rear through traffic, waiting for his moment before executing a clean overtake on lap 7 to reclaim the lead.
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion said: “This whole venue is, of course, amazing. Also to see all the fans and just how passionate they are about racing and the cars here, it’s always fantastic to see, and I’m happy to be a part of that."
“For me this is one of the craziest tracks in the world in a good way. I’ve been watching this for a very long time, and it’s one of these races that you just want to compete in. And at least finally this year I have the chance to do it,” Verstappen added.
Team execution delivers a dominant Nordschleife showing
A pit stop immediately after the move handed the car to Juncadella, who briefly lost the lead exiting the pits before fighting back to regain control, even as multiple code 60 interruptions compressed the field.
Juncadella built a 30-second gap before handing over to Gounon, whose stint came under pressure from the Rowe Racing BMW of Dan Harper following another neutralisation.
Despite briefly losing track position, a penalty for the BMW restored control to the Verstappen entry, setting up the final stint where Verstappen returned to the cockpit with a comfortable margin.
“It feels amazing. First race back at the ring with Max and Dani is exceptional,” said Gounon. “Max is just so amazing, so humble. I just feel like I have a top teammate next to me. That’s the thing, he’s just… it’s Max.”
Juncadella added: “It great to win again. The last couple of years have not been that lucky in the Nordschleife to get a win. Everything counts towards our big goal in the 24 Hour Nürburgring race. Great start from Max in this project, and me also back with Mercedes AMG in a very competitive car. Yeah, it’s great.”
At the flag, the #3 Mercedes AMG crossed the line ahead of the #99 BMW and the #44 Porsche, sealing a clean and controlled victory, before the infringement took away their accolades..
Nevertheless, from Verstappen, the message is clear. This is not a one-off appearance. His Nordschleife programme is building towards a serious challenge at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and based on this performance, he arrives as a genuine contender.
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