Verstappen Loses Nurburgring GT3 Win Following Post-Race Disqualification
Verstappen disqualified after GT3 win at Nurburgring over rule breach.
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen suffered a dramatic disqualification from his apparent GT3 class victory at the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS2) ADAC Barbarossapreis race on March 20, 2026, after his Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 team violated tyre regulations. Verstappen, driving the No. 3 car alongside teammates Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon, dominated the four-hour endurance event on the full 24.358-km Nordschleife layout.
Verstappen secured pole position by nearly two seconds and led the squad to a commanding 59-second win, marking his second NLS triumph and first in a Mercedes following a prior success. Post-race celebrations soured when technical scrutineers discovered the team had used seven tyre sets instead of the permitted maximum of six (or 28 tyres total versus the allowed 24).
Stewards swiftly disqualified the entry just hours after the chequered flag, reassigning victory to Rowe Racing's BMW M4 GT3 driven by Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper. Verstappen, who piloted the final 45 minutes, expressed frustration over team radio with "Yeah, could be much worse," unaware of the impending penalty amid his breakout GT3 stint ahead of May's Nürburgring 24 Hours debut.
The infringement underscores endurance racing's stringent resource rules on the "Green Hell," where tyre management proves critical over punishing laps. Verstappen Racing, a Verstappen-owned outfit, faced no appeal, highlighting procedural lapses despite the driver's pole-to-flag masterclass that briefly distracted from his underwhelming F1 start—sixth in Australia and a DNF in Shanghai.
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This marks Verstappen's latest Nordschleife brush with controversy, following Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko's ban on riskier track activities deemed "too dangerous." Critics of F1's 2026 battery-heavy cars—dubbed "Formula E on steroids" by Verstappen—note his GT escapades offer purer racing thrills, though technical compliance remains non-negotiable.
The episode fuels debate on driver diversification amid F1's grueling calendar, with Verstappen eyeing the 24 Hours as a bucket-list challenge. Winward's statement acknowledged the error, vowing stricter adherence as NLS progresses.
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