Max Verstappen achieved his first victory of the year, but was excluded

The Dutchman celebrated with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon on the second date of the NLS, the tournament that takes place on the Nordschleife, the Nürburgring long circuit. However, hours later he found out that his Mercedes ended up disqualified.

Max Verstappen had already been on the podium and celebrated with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, the duo with whom he shared the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with which he won on the second round of the NLS Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie), championship that takes place on the Nordschleife, the long route of the mythical Green Hell. The champagne bubbles had already flooded his diver and his joy at having enjoyed a victory on that route that attracts him so much had already been stored in his bag to leave Germany. But… Several hours after the celebration he found out that his team had been excluded from the competition.

During the routine review that is carried out after each competition in any category in the world, the NLS technical stewards noticed that The number 3 Mercedes had used seven sets of tires on the day (including qualifying which was over four hours before the start) and the maximum allowed is six. Result: exclusion from the event. Thus, the victory went to the BMW of Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper, who had been second on the track. Christian Hohenadel, director of the Winward Racing team, which has factory support from Mercedes AMG, acknowledged the error.

Without a doubt, the exclusion will have left the four-time Formula 1 champion chewing anger. because it was his first victory of the year and precisely not in the top category, in which his chance of climbing to the first step of the podium seems distant after what was seen in the Chinese GP and the superiority that Mercedes, precisely, has with respect to the rest. But nothing will take away the fun he had with the GT3 on the Nordschleife. The four-time world champion was the staunchest critic that the new technical regulations of Formula 1 encountered. That of charging the battery, not being able to go to the limit in the curves, having to take the foot off the accelerator on the straights… A combo that the Dutchman hates, because he is a young driver, barely 28 years old, but he is old school. “I don’t have fun, but to have fun I have my participation in GT3,” he said before the Chinese GP. The four-time world champion has had one goal in his sights for a long time: racing the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. And to achieve this, he first had to compete in races on the NLS (Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie) calendar, a championship that takes place on the Nordschleife, the long track. His debut in the GT3 class was in 2025 with victory over a Ferrari and this Saturday he had repeated the celebration, this time with a Mercedes, on the second date of the year in the four-hour competition.

VErstappen showed his class early on by taking pole position with almost two seconds ahead, in a lap lasting almost eight minutes. In the race, he was in charge of the first stint with the Mercedes AMG-GT3 . In the first lap Christopher Haase (Audi) lost the lead. Verstappen followed him closely throughout the first hour of the race. “It was a very fun duel, in some parts he was faster and I was faster in others,” said the German. Finally, with five minutes left to complete the first of the four hours, Max put together a Verstappen-like maneuver, to the limit and overtook Haase. He immediately went to the pits and left the wheel to Juncadella. The Spaniard returned to the track second, behind Nico Hantke, Haase’s teammate. But it didn’t last long, because the Mercedes immediately surpassed the Audi and went ahead. From there, the team led by the Red Bull driver dominated. Gounon’s stint passed and Verstappen returned for the final 45 minutes.

“The team prepared the car very well,” said Max before taking the podium and learning that in reality the team has problems with simple mathematical calculations… “I felt very good and it is a great experience for me. I love the speed of the GT cars. I am very happy to be part of this. This track is crazy and I wanted to race for a long time. At the end of the year the chance appeared and the calendar gave me the possibility. “I’m going to try to be there every time I can,” said Max.. The cancellations of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the war in the Middle East opened up the chance for him to be on the third date of the NLS (it coincided with Sakhir) and in the qualification for the 24 Hours (same weekend in which he was supposed to be in Jeddah). “We are looking to be there in three weeks,” the Dutchman warned.

Until the exclusion, Verstappen had had the pleasure of winning with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. It is true, in very different categories. The German GT3 with which it races at the Nürburgring has factory support from the star brand. Behind the negotiation was Toto Wolff, the director of the F1 Arrows and who flirted with Max several times to bring him to the Brackley team. For now, the four-time champion is still on the energy drinks team in the top category, but he is already enjoying the benefits of Mercedes on the Nordschleife.

Verstasppen found the place where he has fun and wins, beyond the determination of the stewards that has nothing to do with his performance on the track. And, as if that were not enough, it became a focus that NLS welcomes with open arms. Just seeing the image of the Dutchman getting into his Mercedes surrounded by thousands of people is a sign, which becomes stronger with the fact that the views on YouTube of the Green Hell competitions multiplied by 100.

In April, if everything fits into Max’s schedule, will be back at the top of GT3 on the next NLS date. And on May 16, the old desire of being able to participate in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring will be fulfilled. It seems to be just the beginning, because it is also targeting Le Mans and other iconic races and tracks. Places and racing cars where he finds the fun he doesn’t feel in his main job: Formula 1.