Verstappen’s road to the legendary 24-hour race in the “Green Hell” has hit its first setback. As part of his preparation for this endurance event, Max Verstappen took part in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS). He and his teammates won the race on track, but were later disqualified.
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| Photo by Mika Borst photography |
However, in the four-hour race itself, the competition closed in and didn’t hand victory to Winward Racing easily. Verstappen handled the opening stint but lost the lead at the end of the first lap to Audi factory driver Haase, who used the slipstream on the straight to pass the Dutchman. Verstappen only regained the lead towards the end of his stint.
He was then replaced by Daniel Juncadella, who rejoined the track in second place after the pit stop, but quickly fought his way back into the lead. The penultimate stint was handled by GT racing specialist Jules Gounon. It was far from easy for him, as Dan Harper in the BMW M4 GT3 EVO #99 closed in. The two battled closely, with Harper even briefly taking the lead before Gounon reclaimed it in the “Red Bull-backed” Mercedes.
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| Photo by Mika Borst photography |
For the final stint, Verstappen returned to the car and, without major issues, held onto the lead until the finish, crossing the line with nearly a one-minute advantage and briefly celebrating victory with his teammates. Second place went to the Rowe Racing BMW driven by Harper and Jordan Pepper, while the #44 car from Falken Motorsports finished third.
However, the smiles didn’t last long, as Verstappen and his teammates were later disqualified. The team had exceeded the maximum number of tires allowed for the four-hour race. The limit was 24 sets, but they used 28.
Although they lost the victory, they did not lose the valuable experience gained over the weekend. They will be able to build on it at the 24-hour race in May, which represents the highlight of the season for Verstappen and his team. The race will take place on May 16–17.