Max Verstappen promoted after late disqualification announced

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen promoted after late disqualification announced

The result has finally been confirmed

By Vincent Bruins.

Saturday 13 June 2026 20:58

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has received some good news following a very late disqualification.

The Dutchman may be racing for Red Bull in F1 this weekend at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix but in between the jam-packed 2026 calendar, he also found time to compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Nurburgring last month.

It took a while, but 26 days after the race finish, the final results of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring are now finally in with Verstappen's team benefitting from a late disqualification.

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Red Bull Team ABT’s number-84 Lamborghini, driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser, has been disqualified. Originally finishing second, its disqualification means every competitor has moved up one position behind the winner.

The race proved to be a true test of endurance. One top team after another in the SP 9 class for GT3 cars was forced to retire or encountered serious issues.

With more than 18 hours still to go, the Mercedes-AMG entries from Winward Racing had built a sizeable lead, until their sole remaining rival checked in a lap late due to a switch to rain tyres.

The Walkenhorst-Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes, and Nicki Thiim ultimately settled for third place, while the number-80 Ravenol-AMG of Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz secured the win after the number-3 Verstappen Racing-AMG—driven by Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella, and Verstappen—suffered a broken driveshaft with just three hours remaining.

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Nurburgring technical inspection confirms irregularities on six GT3 Cars

Bortolotti, Engstler, and Niederhauser had crossed the finish line in second place. Starting from pole position, they lost valuable time at the start after being nudged by Juncadella.

A punctured tyre and an extra lap around the grand prix circuit cost them over three minutes. Although the gap to the winning Ravenol car had shrunk to 46 seconds, a Code 60 infraction resulted in an official gap of two minutes and 12 seconds.

However, the Red Bull Team ABT trio couldn’t hold onto their second-place finish. Along with the number-80 Ravenol-AMG (P1), the number-34 Walkenhorst-Aston Martin (P3), the number-99 ROWE BMW (P4), the number-24 Lionspeed GP-Porsche (P6), and the number-67 Haupt-Mustang (P8), their car was put through a rolling road test which revealed certain irregularities.

The disqualified Red Bull Team ABT’s No.84 Lamborghini with the Verstappen Racing No.3 entry.

Higher top speed with less power in the race?

The Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 driven by Bortolotti, Engstler, and Niederhauser was found to have more power than allowed by the Balance of Performance regulations. Even within the permitted deviation of up to two per cent, the car exceeded its horsepower limit.

Race officials had grown suspicious of the Lamborghini’s performance as it demonstrated considerably faster speeds on the straights during the race compared to qualifying, where the BoP should have restricted its power. As a result of this technical violation, Bortolotti, Engstler, and Niederhauser have been disqualified.

Following winners Engel, Martin, Schiller, and Stolz, the Aston Martin trio of Drudi, Krognes, and Thiim has now claimed second overall in the 24h Nurburgring.

The final podium spot goes to the ROWE-BMW crew of Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde, and Dries Vanthoor. Meanwhile, Verstappen Racing-AMG has nudged up from P19 to P18 in the SP 9 class, though it might not be a significant change for Verstappen himself.

Max Verstappen Nürburgring Nurburgring Nordschleife 24 Hours of Nurburgring