Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24 victory hopes collapse after late Mercedes problem
17/05/2026
At the time of writing, the car has not been officially retired.
After almost 21 hours of front-running pace, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry has lost its realistic chance of winning the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours following a technical problem at the right-rear of the car.
From control to crisis
The #3 Mercedes had been one of the defining cars of the race. Verstappen, Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer had placed themselves firmly in the fight for overall victory, running at the front deep into the final quarter of the race. That is what makes this moment so painful.
Just a mechanical problem arriving at the worst possible moment. Reports from the pit lane point towards an issue around the right-rear, possibly linked to the driveshaft area. That kind of repair is rarely quick, especially this late in a 24-hour race where every minute lost feels like a full chapter disappearing.
A debut that deserved more
The Formula 1 world champion came with a serious line-up, a serious team and a serious chance. During the race, he looked exactly like you would expect: fast, controlled, aggressive when needed and completely convincing in GT3 machinery.
Racing at the Nürburgring is not just about speed. It is about traffic, darkness, Code 60 zones, weather, patience and survival on a 25-kilometre circuit that punishes everything. Verstappen looked like he belonged here.
Will the #3 Mercedes return to the track?
In endurance racing, teams often still try to repair the car and send it back out, even when the win is gone. Finishing the Nürburgring 24 Hours still matters. It gives the team data, honours the work of the mechanics and drivers, and sometimes still delivers a classified result if enough laps have been completed.
The #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol moved into the prime position, while the #84 Lamborghini also gained as the #3 car remained in the garage. With just over three hours remaining, every lap lost is almost impossible to recover.
AutoNext Take
For almost 21 hours, the #3 Mercedes did nearly everything right. Verstappen was fast. The team looked sharp. The car had the pace. The story was almost too good: an F1 world champion fighting for overall victory on his Nürburgring 24 debut.
Then a mechanical issue turned the whole thing upside down. No heroic last-lap fight. No grand finale. Just a slow return to the pits, mechanics around the rear of the car and the painful realisation that the win has disappeared.
