F1 champion Max Verstappen plots Nurburgring return after 24 hour heartbreak

Max Verstappen, Verstappen Racing, Nurburgring, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Nurburgring 24 Hours

Max Verstappen plots Nurburgring return after 24 hour heartbreak

Max Verstappen suffered a heartbreaking result at the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 17 May 2026 16:55 Updated: 16:59

F1 superstar Max Verstappen has indicated he is ready to come back fighting in next year's Nurburgring 24 Hours after suffering a late technical issue with Mercedes-AMG on Sunday.

The four-time champion made his debut in the legendary overnight endurance race this weekend, sharing the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Lucas Auer.

Overall, their Red Bull-branded entry led the 24-hour race for a total of 85 laps, but in the end it was the Mercedes sister team that brought victory home for the German giants who waited a decade for a race win at the Green Hell.

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After an impressive double driving stint from Verstappen on Sunday morning, the No.3 car had built up a 30-second lead over the No.80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol by the time he handed the wheel back to Juncadella with just over three hours to go.

But after just two laps, the Spanish driver brought the No.3 car back into the pits, with mechanics quickly wheeling the Mercedes back into the garage. Steve Buschmann, the CEO of Winward Racing – the team behind Verstappen Racing – then confirmed the team had suffered a technical issue, ruling them out of race win contention as they slipped down the order.

Though Juncadella was able to rejoin the race with 20 mins remaining on the clock, he was unable to perform a miracle. He eventually crossed the line in P38, marking a cruel end to a weekend where the No.3 entry had a real shot at victory.

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Verstappen and Juncadella eager to make Nurburgring 24 Hour return

Once the chequered flag had been waved on Sunday, the man who had the bittersweet duty of both starting and ending the race in the No.3 car took to social media to blow off steam.

Alongside a carousel of images that summed up a weekend of highs and lows for Verstappen and his team-mates, Juncadella wrote: "Motorsport can be brutal sometimes. What a ride though… I love you and hate you so much Nordschleife. Thanks everyone for the incredible support this week. I guess we’ll have to be back?"

Verstappen was quick to rush to the comments and back up his team-mates suggestion that a return was on the cards, with the Dutchman responding: "Strong drive mate. We will be back."

Juncadella: 'The car became uncontrollable'

Speaking to media after the race, the Spanish racer who is also a simulator driver for the Aston Martin F1 team further detailed his experience at the wheel of the Mercedes on Sunday, sharing what went wrong inside the car.

"I came out of the pits, everything felt normal, but after about half a lap or even a third of a lap, I saw an ABS malfunction warning appear and disappear," Juncadella explained.

"I reset the warning and it was fine again, but then I realised the ABS wasn't working. I was riding without ABS, but actually it wasn't that bad. I could still manage.

"I adjusted the brake balance a bit to prevent the front tyres from locking up and it was doable. I felt like they wanted me to go into the pits to find the problem, but I thought it was better to keep riding and that we might find a solution."

"But then I started hearing noises and eventually the car became uncontrollable. I had a feeling that something was going to break at some point, so I drove slowly back to the pits and there it turned out there was a problem with the drive shaft, which subsequently caused additional damage to the rest of the car. And that is probably the cause of the problem that confused the electronics and switched off the ABS system," said the Spaniard.

"We love this sport, but at the end of the day, that is how it can sometimes go in racing. There are so many things you have no control over, and on a day like this, that can hurt...we will be back next year."

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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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F1 Max Verstappen Mercedes Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife 24 Hours of Nurburgring