Nurburgring 24 Hours, 12:00-15:00: Disappointment for #3 Verstappen Racing

Published on 17 May 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

After an eventful start to the 54th edition of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, which this year attracted a record crowd of 352,000 spectators, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car took the lead for the first time after three hours of racing. That sparked an hours-long battle fought on a knife-edge, with the lead changing hands repeatedly with the other factory-backed Mercedes-AMG, car #80.

In the end, it was that car – driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin, and starting from P20 – that won the legendary endurance race on the iconic Nordschleife after Verstappen Racing retired with three hours remaining due to a driveshaft failure.

The #84 Red Bull Team Abt (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2) finished a solid second after a recovery drive, having started from pole position but suffering a puncture in the opening chicane. Rain, crashes and technical problems caused setbacks for many of the 161 teams. However, the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo) managed to secure the third and final podium position.

The fact that what had seemed a certain victory ended in disappointment for Verstappen Racing did nothing to diminish the tremendous team performance and the enjoyment of working together shared by Max Verstappen, Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella. Ultimately, the biggest winners during the 24-hour race around the 25.3-kilometre Green Hell were the spectators, who were treated to an endurance spectacle from start to finish.

Nürburgring 24 Hours - Classification after 23 hours, at 14:00
Nürburgring 24 Hours - Classification after 24 hours, at 15:00