Heartbreak for Max Verstappen as Driveshaft Failure Ends Nürburgring 24 Charge

Max Verstappen’s ambitions of a win on debut were denied after a late mechanical failure cruelled the Dutchman and his #3 Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG teammates at the Nürburgring 24.

Drama struck the race-leading entry with just three hours and 30 minutes remaining in the round-the-clock enduro, as co-driver Dani Juncadella slowed progressively before returning to the pits, where driveshaft damage was discovered.

The Spaniard haemorrhaged the 30-second lead built over the second-placed #80 Mercedes-AMG, driven by Maro Engel, who would go on to pass the #3 car on track and claim Nürburgring 24 victory for the Silver Arrows.

As the Winward Racing crew inspected the garaged car, damage to the driveshaft was found under the right-rear wheel arch. The mood quickly soured in the garage and on the pit wall as Verstappen, Juncadella, and teammates Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer absorbed the reality of the situation.

“We can be very proud of our performance, even if the disappointment over the result is still weighing heavily on us,” Auer said.

“Although we managed to get out on track again at the end, it was, of course, a bitter finish for us.

“The Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, as well as Dani, Jules, and Max, did an incredibly good job throughout the weekend.”

A similar sentiment was shared by Juncadella, who said: “The race went so well for us.”

“We had a good start, great stints, the decision for rain tyres at the right moment.

“We had built up a two-minute lead over everyone else.

“Just a dream race, but unfortunately it was three hours too short and three hours too long for us.

“But that’s just how it is in racing.”

Gounon also took to social media to share his heartbreak: “The word heartbroken probably doesn’t even come close to what we feel right now,”

“We were doing everything right with Max, Luggi and Dani, but the Green Hell had other plans.

“It’s crazy how this sport can give you the highest highs and, in the next moment, make you feel ten feet underground.

“At the end, an issue with three hours remaining took it away from us.

“Massive thanks to the whole team for the unbelievable work and effort.

“Need a little time away to process this one.”

Verstappen himself responded to Gounon’s post with a simple but encouraging message: “we will be back mate.”

Engel, sharing the #80 Mercedes-AMG with Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz, secured the Silver Arrows’ first Nürburgring 24 win in 10 years at the Nordschleife. The German GT3 veteran had also won the event in 2016.

Despite building a convincing lead after starting fourth, with Verstappen completing a double stint through the night, Team Verstappen was ultimately classified 21 laps down in 37th overall, highlighting the unforgiving nature of endurance racing.

The attrition-heavy race saw several key contenders fail to finish, including the #911 Grello Porsche featuring Matt Campbell and Kevin Estre, which hit oil on the circuit and skidded into the barriers. Arjun Maini also crashed the #64 Ford Mustang in similar circumstances.

The defending race-winning #1 ROWE BMW suffered a terminal refuelling issue, while the #16 Audi piloted by Verstappen’s GT3 rival Christopher Haase rear-ended another Mercedes after Alexander Sims was incorrectly shown a Code 60 signal by a marshal.

Verstappen’s comment on Gounon’s social media post appears to indicate the four-time F1 world champion intends to return to the Nürburgring in 2027 to settle unfinished business, pending the Formula 1 calendar and whether he remains active in the championship.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade. Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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