Max Verstappen has improved his final position in the Nurburgring 24 Hours following a delayed disqualification of the second-place car. The stewards disqualified the #84 Lamborghini over a month after the race ended, citing excessive power output under Balance of Performance rules.
Verstappen's Race at the Nurburgring
The four-time Formula 1 world champion competed in the iconic 24-hour endurance race at the Nordschleife in May, driving a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3. He shared the car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer, and Dani Juncadella. Verstappen was on track for a debut victory until a driveshaft failure with hours remaining forced lengthy repairs. The car initially finished 38th, later promoted to 37th after a Porsche failed to finish.
Disqualification Details
Post-race inspections of nine SP9-class cars found only the #84 Lamborghini, driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser, to be non-compliant. The team initially appealed but later withdrew, finalizing the disqualification. This elevates Verstappen to 36th place.
Impact on Other Teams
The #34 Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes, and Nicki Thiim is now promoted to second. The #99 BMW, shared by Daniel Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde, and Dries Vanthoor, inherits third place. The winning #80 Mercedes with Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz remains unaffected.
Verstappen's Future Plans
Despite the improved result, Verstappen expressed disappointment at missing victory. He plans to return next year if his F1 schedule allows. However, he will not race at the Nordschleife again this year due to GT World Challenge commitments clashing with remaining NLS rounds.
