Heartbreak For Max Verstappen! Mechanical Failure Denies Nürburgring 24h Victory

Last Updated:May 17, 2026, 21:03 IST

Max Verstappen retires from Nürburgring 24 Hours debut after late mechanical failure while leading, victory goes to sister 80 Mercedes AMG, 84 Lamborghini takes second.

Four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen saw his hopes of victory in his Nürburgring 24 Hours debut end in heartbreak after a late mechanical failure forced the retirement of the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 while leading comfortably on Sunday afternoon.

Verstappen, sharing the car with experienced endurance racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, had emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2026 edition of the iconic endurance race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Dutch driver and his teammates had built a lead of more than 30 seconds heading into the final phase of the race before disaster struck during Juncadella’s stint.

The Spaniard reported intermittent ABS warnings before the car developed a driveshaft issue affecting the rear-right corner. Juncadella slowed dramatically on track, lost the lead and eventually returned the Mercedes to the pits, where it was pushed into the garage and retired after 21 hours of racing.

The retirement ended what had been an exceptional debut performance from Verstappen in one of motorsport’s toughest endurance events. Competing on the 15.8-mile Nürburgring circuit, famously nicknamed the “Green Hell", Verstappen immediately impressed with his aggressive pace and confidence in traffic despite the constantly changing weather conditions and heavy multi-class traffic involving 161 cars.

After taking over from Juncadella early in the race, Verstappen produced one of the defining stints of the event, charging from 10th position into the lead with a series of daring overtakes. At one stage, he briefly lost grip over a bump and ran onto the grass before recovering control of the car.

The race itself was heavily disrupted by changing conditions, multiple crashes and several Code 60 neutralisations. Early incidents involved the #99 ROWE BMW, the #84 Lamborghini and the Manthey Porsche #911, while rain around the Adenau section of the circuit created further chaos and forced teams into difficult tyre strategy decisions.

Despite the challenging conditions, the #3 Mercedes remained among the fastest cars throughout the race, with Verstappen, Gounon, Auer and Juncadella steadily extending their advantage overnight.

Victory eventually went to the sister #80 Mercedes-AMG entry driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller, while the recovering #84 Lamborghini finished second ahead of the #34 Aston Martin in third.

For Verstappen, the race had represented more than a one-off appearance. The Red Bull driver had described the Nürburgring 24 Hours as a “bucket-list" event and another step in his growing involvement in endurance racing amid continuing questions over his long-term Formula One future.

(With AP inputs)

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