Max Verstappen rival facing late disqualification as race officials investigate Red Bull team

24h Nurburgring

Max Verstappen rival facing late disqualification as race officials investigate Red Bull team

One team could still be disqualified from the Nurburgring 24 Hours

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 29 May 2026 08:00

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Red Bull Team ABT - one of the rivals of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing – now faces a potential disqualification after finishing second in the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring.

The Lamborghini’s engine is alleged to have produced more power than allowed. As a result, the final classification remains provisional until the stewards reach a decision.

Following the race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, routine post-race checks revealed that the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, race No. 84, did not meet technical requirements.

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The car, driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser, was placed on a rolling test bench to verify its Balance of Performance. According to Motorsport-Total.com, the engine had output roughly twenty extra horsepower compared to the preset reference value.

Regulations allow a maximum deviation of two percent - about 10 horsepower for an engine rated at roughly 500 hp - meaning the Red Bull-sponsored entry was well over the limit.

Investigation delayed by faulty clutch

Immediately after the flag fell, the leading cars from six different manufacturers were sealed off and sent for inspection. While the other entrants passed their checks without issue, the ABT car encountered delays, apparently due to a faulty clutch.

The vehicle was secured and only re-tested with a replacement clutch a week later, on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the race organisation confirmed to Motorsport-Total.com that: "Irregularities were discovered during a routine inspection of six GT3 vehicles in the Lamborghini with race number 84.”

No issues were found with the other five inspected brands. These included Winward Racing’s race-winning Ravenol Mercedes-AMG (number 80), P3’s Walkenhorst Aston Martin (number 34), P4’s ROWE BMW (number 99), P6’s Lionspeed GP Porsche (number 24), and P8’s Haupt Mustang (number 67). The car belonging to Max Verstappen – which, along with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, and Dani Juncadella, competed under Verstappen Racing – was not inspected. Although they had led for much of the race, a driveshaft failure with three hours remaining relegated the team to 37th place.

The Red Bull Lamborghini under scrutiny managed to cross the line in second place. In the opening round, pole-sitter Bortolotti suffered a puncture after contact with Juncadella. It took 23 of the 24 hours for the team to claw back into a podium finish.

Race officials' concerns

Race officials had grown suspicious during the event based on collected data. The car’s top speeds were notably high: on the Dottinger Hohe straight, it averaged 275.2 km/h, compared to 268 km/h during an earlier qualifying session when the engine was reportedly producing less power as per the Balance of Performance. Additionally, Niederhauser recorded the fastest lap of the entire field at 8:08.758.

The technical report is now with the stewards, who will meet in the coming days. Representatives from the team will have the opportunity to respond to the findings. While the victory earned by Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz stands, the remainder of the results remain provisional. If the disqualification is upheld, the Walkenhorst Aston Martin will move up to second place and the ROWE BMW will claim third on the podium, while Verstappen Racing’s SP 9 entry for GT3 cars would improve from 19th to 18th place.

Max Verstappen Nürburgring 24 Hours of Nurburgring