Max Verstappen's first appearance at the Nürburgring 24 Hours ended in heartbreak after a driveshaft failure robbed his team of a likely victory. The Red Bull driver, racing under the Verstappen Racing banner alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, had guided the Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the lead with just hours remaining.
However, the challenge unravelled when Juncadella, who had taken over from Verstappen, was forced into the pit lane two laps later. A puncture and an ABS issue were initially detected, but the root cause proved to be a driveshaft failure that left the team stationary for a lengthy spell. Although Verstappen Racing returned to the track for the final lap, a debut win was cruelly denied.
"Very unfortunate and frustrating ending, but these things can happen," Verstappen said. "I still really enjoyed the experience together with Jules, Luggi and Dani. Thanks to the team and everyone around the track for your support." The 28-year-old now turns his attention to the Canadian Grand Prix, though he has not ruled out a return to the Eifel circuit. "I will of course try, it always depends a bit on my schedule, but let's first enjoy now," he added.
Meanwhile, former F1 driver Timo Glock saw his weekend cut short after being stripped of his Nordschleife licence. The 44-year-old, who raced for Jordan, Toyota, Virgin and Marussia in Formula 1, was penalised for travelling at 12kph through a 60kph slow zone while driving Dorr Motorsport's McLaren 720S. Slow zones signal accidents or blockages, where recovery vehicles may be present.
Glock received two penalty points, but having already collected the same punishment at a previous event for an unrelated pit-lane infringement, the sanction led to immediate disqualification and withdrawal of his DPN licence. His team were handed an 82-second penalty but continued without him. The stewards' report confirmed: "The stewards examined all evidence and heard from the competitors representative. After they determined that the driver T. Glock received two penalty points during this event – previously he did receive two penalty points at the 24h qualifiers – the stewards imposed the above penalty."
