Max Verstappen came very close to a monumental feat in his debut at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, but a cruel mechanical problem shattered the victory hopes of the Mercedes #3 just a few hours before the finish.
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For much of the weekend, everything seemed to smile on Max Verstappen and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 crew. Paired with Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Lucas Auer, the four-time F1 world champion impressed from his first stints on the Nordschleife.
On Saturday, the Dutchman had already made an impression by climbing from tenth to first place thanks to a spectacular stint marked by impressive overtakes.
Then, during the night, Verstappen raised his level again with an exceptional double stint that allowed the Mercedes #3 to take a significant lead over the rest of the field. Over the hours, the two official Mercedes cars, #3 and #80, clearly seemed above the competition.
Mercedes domination before the drama
The two German brand cars had gradually increased the gap over their rivals, giving the impression that the victory would be decided only between them. Even a slight contact between the two Mercedes during the night did not disrupt their dominance.
At dawn, Verstappen continued to show an impressive pace and seemed perfectly on track for a historic victory in his first participation in the legendary German event.
The atmosphere in the Verstappen Racing camp was then particularly calm before everything suddenly turned.
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The mechanical problem that destroys everything
The dramatic turning point of the race came less than four hours before the finish. Barely two laps after taking over the car from Verstappen, Dani Juncadella was forced to immediately return to the pits after a puncture.
But the problem turned out to be much more serious than a simple damaged tire. The mechanics quickly discovered a transmission failure, more precisely a driveshaft problem, almost definitively condemning the Mercedes #3.
The crew then dropped to 38th position, unable to continue normally. The car finally returned to the track only to complete a symbolic final lap before the finish.
Mercedes #80 takes the victory
While the Mercedes #3 saw its dream collapse, sister car #80 perfectly took advantage of the situation to race to victory.
The crew composed of Maxime Martin, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller, and Maro Engel won without real opposition in the final hours, giving Mercedes its first win at the Nürburgring 24 Hours since 2016. Behind, the Lamborghini #84 and Aston Martin #34 completed the podium of this 2026 edition.
Despite this particularly cruel outcome, Max Verstappen’s endurance debut will remain extremely impressive. The Red Bull driver demonstrated throughout the weekend that he already had the pace, management, and aggression necessary to become a reference also in GT endurance racing.
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