F1 champion Max Verstappen in nail-biting Nurburgring 24 Hours incident as debut takes heartbreaking turn

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen in nail-biting Nurburgring 24 Hours incident as debut takes heartbreaking turn

Heartbreak for Verstappen at the Nurburgring

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 17 May 2026 11:56 Updated: 12:13

Max Verstappen may have avoided a race-ending collision during his final stint at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, but his chances of a maiden 24-hour victory have been cruelly denied by a late issue.

Verstappen ensured the No.3 Mercedes-AMG entry was firmly in the lead by the time Dani Juncadella took over with three and a half hours remaining of the iconic endurance race, not, however, without a dramatic moment prior to the changeover.

Right in front of Verstappen, Joel Sturm in the Dinamic GT-Porsche grazed Michael Schroder’s Cayman and Verstappen nearly got caught up in the ensuing crash.

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Thankfully, the four-time champion emerged unscathed and was able to return the car to Juncadella with a lead of over 30 seconds. Speaking to media including GPFans at the track, Verstappen said: "The car is working well, so I just tried to stay out of trouble, which worked out by the skin of my teeth on the final lap. Two cars in front of me collided."

While Verstappen was lucky to avoid the incident, his relief was short-lived as misfortune struck the No.3 car moments later.

The Code 60 is for the No. 82 SP 7 Cayman of Michael Schröder, who crashed due to contact with Joel Sturm.@Max33Verstappen was incredibly lucky not to be taken out as well.#IGTC #24hNBR pic.twitter.com/H6x5VxW995
— Vincent Bruins 🧡 (@VincentJBruins) May 17, 2026

Drama at the Nurburgring as Verstappen Racing lose lead

The No.3 was suddenly seen entering the pits with a major problem reported as the mechanics began to work on the car, Juncadella still sat in the drivers' seat.

Matters only worsened when the Verstappen Racing car was then pulled into the garage and the team lost the lead to the rival No. 80 Mercedes driven by Maro Engel.

Soon the podium positions were far from the team's grasp, tumbling down the top 10 to seventh place, in a crushing blow to what had been a masterful drive from the Verstappen Racing team. Eventually, Juncadella was seen exiting the car, in a heartbreaking update to the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

With just three hours remaining, the chances of a race win have now slipped away entirely for Verstappen and his team-mates, with the team up against the clock to get their car back on track should the issue be solvable.

Mercedes chiefs respond to Nurburgring heartbreak

Steve Buschmann, the CEO of Winward Racing – the team behind Verstappen Racing – was clearly frustrated by the unexpected issues and offered insight into the technical gremlins.

"This is purely a technical issue on the right rear," Buschmann explained to GPFans.

"There was no contact with any other car, it’s entirely a mechanical fault. It’s incredibly frustrating. We’re working in the garage, trying to fix the problem so we can get back out there. Right now, we don’t expect the same issue to affect any other car."

Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, provided some additional insight. Initially, Juncadella received an ABS warning, and soon after, he began to experience vibrations. All signs point to a broken driveshaft being at the heart of the problem.

Max Verstappen Nürburgring 24 Hours of Nurburgring