Max Verstappen was stripped of victory in Saturday’s NLS2 race at the Nürburgring after his Winward Mercedes AMG team was disqualified for breaching the series’ tyre allocation rules. The Dutchman had crossed the line first alongside team mates Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella after a dominant performance in the four-hour endurance race, but the result was later overturned following post race checks.
Verstappen and his crew had looked to have sealed an emphatic win in the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis, finishing 59 seconds clear of the rest of the field after starting from pole position on the full 24.358-kilometre Nürburgring layout. Reports said the No. 3 Mercedes AMG had used 28 tyres during the event, exceeding the permitted total of 24, leaving the officials with no option but to exclude the car from the final classification.
The disqualification handed victory to the ROWE Racing BMW crew of Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper, who were elevated to first place after the exclusion of Verstappen’s entry.
It was a bitter blow for Verstappen, who had delivered a standout display around one of motorsport’s most demanding circuits. He had taken pole by nearly two seconds and helped control the race throughout, turning what seemed a commanding GT3 success into a major talking point only hours later.
The setback comes during a frustrating spell for the four-time Formula 1 world champion. After finishing sixth in the season opener in Australia and then failing to finish in Shanghai last weekend, the Nürburgring win had offered a timely lift before the Formula 1 paddock heads to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. Instead, a procedural breach has denied Verstappen and his team what appeared to be a memorable triumph
