Max Verstappen team hit with grid penalty after Nurburgring qualifying crash

Max Verstappen in Shanghai — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen at Nurburgring

Max Verstappen team hit with grid penalty after Nurburgring qualifying crash

It's been a tough day so far for Verstappen in Germany

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Saturday 18 April 2026 12:23 Updated: 21:30

Max Verstappen faces an uphill task in the NLS4 race at Nurburgring later on Saturday after his team was handed a grid penalty following a qualifying crash.

The Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing came under investigation by the DMSB stewards after qualifying for Race 1 of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers.

During the session (which had earlier been red-flagged after another crash), Verstappen's team-mate Lucas Auer made contact with a Porsche Cayman and the verdict from the stewards is now in.

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Three-place grid penalty for Team Verstappen

The stewards handed the team a three-place grid penalty for the race later on Saturday (4.30pm UK) and their decision was based on the following findings:

“The driver of car 941 stated that he maintained his racing line and did not notice the faster, approaching car 3. Meanwhile, the driver of car 3 acknowledged spotting the gap but misjudged the situation. He apologized to the driver of car 941 immediately following his stint. In light of these circumstances, the stewards agreed that a three-place grid drop for the next event was an appropriate penalty.”

The news means that Verstappen and Auer will now start from P9 in Saturday evening's race, instead of their original P6 qualifying position.

Who is on pole at the Nurburgring?

David Jahn secured pole position for Saturday’s race - driving the No. 23 BMW for Gamota Racing, he posted a lap time of 8:09.488.

Schnitzelalm Racing finished in second for KCMG, while 48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon rounded out the podium. Daan Pijl, racing under the name ‘Daan Arrow’ for the latter team, also had an impressive showing.

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