Max Verstappen loses Nürburgring race due to mechanical failure

The Dutchman will have to wait for the Nürburgring 24 Hours to be able to drive at night on the legendary German circuit.

Verstappen Racing He finished in 32nd position in the NLS5 this Sunday at the Nürburgring. It was not a driving error or a faster rival, it was the nature of the sport itself that left his Mercedes-AMG GT3 with front damage that forced him to stop for more than 30 minutes to repair it.

The four-time Formula 1 champion started fifth on the grid and within minutes he was already fighting for the lead. He went to Marshall, Preining already Kranz. An early pit stop put him in first place by more than twenty seconds.

From the lead to last place

#3 of Verstappen Racing It entered the garage with damage to the splitter and it took almost 30 minutes to repair. Steve BuschmannDirector of Operations at Winward Racing, admitted that not even they themselves fully understood what had happened: they decided not to risk further damage and turn the remainder of the race into a test session for Lucas Auer.

The victory was taken by Audi of Scherer Sport PHXwith Ben Green, Christopher Haase and Alexander Sims. The same ones who had battled with Verstappen in the first few laps, before seeing it disappear.

It was a weekend to forget. Penalty on Saturday for a crash AuerNLS4 race canceled after driver’s death Juha Miettinenand now a retirement when he was comfortably leading. The 24 Hours of the Nürburgring arrive in May, now Verstappen He still needs to practice at night in the green hell.