F1 champion Max Verstappen reacts after disqualification heartbreak

Verstappen walking on the F1 grid in Red Bull 2026 kit looking annoyed — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

F1 champion Max Verstappen reacts after disqualification heartbreak

Verstappen has not had the best of luck in 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 26 March 2026 19:43

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has broken his silence in Suzuka at the Japanese Grand Prix after receiving a devastating disqualification verdict.

The Dutchman made headlines ahead of the third round of the F1 2026 championship after kicking a British journalist out of a Red Bull media briefing on Thursday.

But those who did get to speak to the Dutchman were keen to touch on not just his thoughts about the challenge of tackling the Japanese GP in his new RB22, but also, his reaction to the disappointing news that he had been stripped of his victory at the Nurburgring last weekend.

Article continues under video

The 28-year-old returned to the iconic German circuit to compete in the opening round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) on Saturday, March 21, stunning the rest of the field by taking pole position and eventually, the NLS2 race win alongside team-mates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.

The Verstappen Racing trio took turns at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3, but just hours after taking the win in Saturday's race, the Winward Mercedes-AMG team were found to have breached strict tyre regulations.

Following a post-race inspection, the Mercedes squad were found to have used seven sets of tyres instead of the maximum six, with the race stewards intervening and disqualifying Verstappen and the No.3 car due to the violation of the rules.

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Verstappen breaks silence on post-race disqualification

Though Verstappen has now lost his 100 per cent race win record at the Nordschleife, he can still take away the positive that he managed to get some vital track time in ahead of his Nurburgring 24 Hours attempt later this year.

Speaking in Suzuka ahead of the track action at F1's Japanese GP this weekend, the Dutchman finally broke his silence on the devastating end to last Saturday's outing at the Green Hell.

In a video clip of Verstappen's interview with media in Japan, the 28-year-old said: "I mean, for me, Nordschleife was fantastic. Every time I jumped out of the car, I was just smiling, just having a good time, enjoying driving with my team-mates as well.

"They're great guys, funny guys, fast guys, but yeah at the same time, getting up to speed for for the 24 (Nurburgring 24 hour race) a lot of things that I need to learn same in like a driver swap, where initially my teammates are telling me about what to do. Because normally I jump out of my car and I get helped in as well with the belts. Now you have to work together a bit. And I never did stuff like that. So I really felt like a rookie in that sense.

"But, yeah, good experience. Of course, a shame that we got disqualified. But it was just in the pits of practice, basically, that we were trying in qualifying by mistake, we just put another set on the car when we were doing out ins. So yeah, that's not ideal, but it didn't take away our performance in the race which was good. Was happy with that.

"And of course, I would rather have it happen now than in the 24 so I'm sure that the team now will check everything double. But it's a really good group of people smart people involved. And yeah, I'm sure that we can, we can do a good job."

When is Verstappen competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours?

Verstappen will be reunited with Juncadella and Gounon for their 24-hour attempt in less than two months time, with their Verstappen Racing entry set to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hours between May 16 and May 17.

They will bolster their Verstappen Racing lineup by adding a fourth driver to the rotation in the form of Lucas Auer.

To find out more about the 2026 NLS schedule and when Verstappen may return to the Nurburgring, click here.

When is the Japanese Grand Prix?

The main event at the Suzuka circuit will take place on Sunday, March 29, as the Japanese Grand Prix returns before a long break in April following confirmation from F1 that both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs have been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

To read our full breakdown of the weekend schedule, click here.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

Max Verstappen Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife