Max Verstappen Nurburgring 24 Hours: Race results and final times

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen and his No.3 Mercedes-AMG team were struck down by a technical issue during the final hours of the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours, with the Dutchman's racing debut at the iconic event ending in heartbreak.

In a weekend away from the F1 calendar, Verstappen still repped Red Bull colours at the wheel of the energy drink branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, competing for Winward Racing on the infamous German circuit.

The Dutchman tackled the Green Hell commendably and shared driving duties across the overnight race with team-mates Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Lucas Auer, but the chance of victory slipped away from them with just three and a half hours to go.

Following a double driving stint for Verstappen where the 28-year-old narrowly managed to avoid a collision in the aftermath of a crash between two cars directly in front, Juncadella, who also did the honours of kicking off the race in the No. 3 car, took over driving duties once again.

Verstappen's hard work at the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG had paid off and meant that Juncadella got behind the wheel with a 30-second lead over the No.80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol car.

But the positivity didn't last long and the Spanish driver was forced to bring the car back into the pits after just two laps, immediately sensing an issue. The No.3 car was quickly wheeled into the garage with Juncadella eventually giving in and exiting the car, met with hugs and sharing a look of devastation with the rest of the team.

The Verstappen Racing entry not only lost the lead as a result but also tumbled down the order, with the mechanics working hard to fix a technical issue on the right rear in order to get the car going again before the conclusion of the 24-hour event.

If Verstappen's Mercedes team hadn't been struck down by their technical problem, the German giants would have had a serious chance of claiming the first one-two for a single team in the event since 2008.

Alas, Verstappen Racing didn’t have enough time to climb back up to a podium finish as Juncadella rejoined the race in the final 20 minutes.

Instead, Luca Stolz continued to lead the race for Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol, before panic ensued in the Winward garage as light rain began to fall on track.

Stolz then pitted a lap earlier than anticipated with the chance of heavier rain still deemed possible, handing the honour of the final stint over to team-met Maro Engel on a fresh set of intermediate tyres.

Engel managed to cling onto the race win for the No.80, bringing Mercedes the Nurburgring 24 Hour victory they have waited a decade for.

The No.84 Lamborghini followed behind in second and the No.34 Aston Martin in third, however, in the final stages of the race, officials confirmed the Lamborghini running in second still had to carry over a 1-minute and 24-second penalty.

But just as Aston Martin began to celebrate a promotion to P2, word began to spread that the No.84 Lamborghini team had managed to cross the line with a gap larger than the one required to hold onto second place.

The Nordschleife is infamous for its challenging conditions and as a result, attracts some of most ambitious motorsport talents across the globe whilst also boasting an eclectic field.

This year's event saw a fan-favourite rise in the form of the No.33 Dacia Logan (which finished P120), as well as welcoming David Schumacher, the nephew of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, who crossed the line in 133rd place in the No. 65 car.

The son of F1 legend Martin Brundle also took part in this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours, with Alex Brundle's No.123 squad crossing the line in P12.

READ MORE: Verstappen Nurburgring 24 Hours victory hopes crushed as technical issue confirmed

Nurburgring 24 Hours Race Results

If you'd like the full results, we have the final classification for all 159 cars entered.

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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.

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