Max Verstappen team-mate reacts after puncture incident at Nurburgring 24 hour race

One of Max Verstappen's team-mates for this weekend's nail-biting Nurburgring 24 Hours has spoken after an early incident at the wheel of the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

The four-time F1 champion headed to Western Germany to take a break from the jam-packed F1 2026 calendar this week, instead trying his hand at one of the most infamous challenges in motorsport, competing in an overnight event on the Green Hell.

The legendary race on the Nordschleife kicked off at 3pm local time on Saturday, May 16 (2pm BST), but despite causing the even to sell out for the first time in its 56-year-history, it wasn't the Dutchman who had the honour of starting the race for his squad.

It was his team-mate Dani Juncadella, who opened the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring by taking the first stint for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.

The Spaniard was pleased with his performance despite making light contact with the car that started on pole. After qualifying fourth, he wasted no time; as soon as the lights went out, he attacked the Scherer Sport PHX-Audi, setting the pace for a thrilling opening stint.

He faced plenty of action early on. At the first chicane, Juncadella found himself alongside pole sitter Mirko Bortolotti. A minor bump resulted in a flat for the #84 Red Bull ABT-Lamborghini, which is also displaying a Red Bull livery this weekend.

Meanwhile, Marco Mapelli had control in the other Lamborghini from ABT Motorsport until a penalty for a false start cost him dearly. Juncadella finished the stint third, following Maximilian Paul (Konrad-Lamborghini) and Kevin Estre (Manthey-Porsche).

The 35-year-old then handed driving duties over to Verstappen, with the Red Bull F1 star keen to hunt down the entries ahead of him in his first stint in the iconic endurance race.

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Juncadella reacts to Nurburgring 24 Hours incident: 'That's racing'

Speaking to Vincent Bruins for GPFans at the Nurburgring on Saturday following his opening stint, Juncadella said: "I had a really good start, so I thought I could push a bit harder.

"But after I passed the Audi—honestly, I did it just before the finish line—I decided to play it safe behind the Lambos.

"At the second corner, I was simply on the inside, not really trying to overtake. He veered back slightly, and we made light contact. I barely felt it.

"It’s a shame they ended up with a puncture, but that’s racing—sometimes luck just isn’t on your side.

"I don’t believe I did anything wrong, and I don’t think he did either. For us, everything is going well. I’m really looking forward to the long race ahead."

WATCH LIVE: Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen bids for victory

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