Max Verstappen was disqualified from his victory in a four-hour GT3 race at the Nürburgring in Germany on Saturday after his team used an extra set of tyres. The Dutch Formula One champion had taken a break from his frustrating F1 season to compete, driving a Mercedes with Red Bull livery for the Winward team.
Verstappen, alongside co-drivers Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, secured pole position by nearly two seconds on the 24.358km circuit. The trio led the race by almost a minute before officials penalised them for using seven sets of tyres instead of the permitted six.
Winward team principal Christian Hohenadel told Motorsport.com: “The disqualification is tough to take. Unfortunately, we made an internal error that left the stewards with no choice but to exclude the winning car.” Verstappen has previously expressed interest in competing in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May.
The 27-year-old has endured a difficult start to his Formula One season, finishing sixth in Australia and retiring in Shanghai. He will return to Asia for the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend.
