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Max Verstappen‘s shot at winning the Nürburgring 24 Hours on debut is over. The No. 3 Verstappen RacingMercedes-AMGGT3, shared between Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, and Lucas Auer, has retired from the race following what appears to be a mechanical failure.
The car had been leading the sister No. 80 AMG, crewed by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz, for much of the race.
With Juncadella behind the wheel when trouble struck, the car limped into the pits and has remained there while the team attempts repairs. Engel’s No. 80 entry has since built a lead of over five minutes, with the stricken No. 3 sitting fifth.
The four-time F1 world champion had been one of the standout performers of the entire event.
Verstappen pulled nearly half a minute clear of the sister Winward Mercedes during his night driving stint, and the team had generally controlled the pace at the front throughout the overnight hours.
The team started fourth, but Juncadella moved to second on the opening lap before the polesitting Lamborghini suffered a puncture.
It wasn’t a clean run by any means. Verstappen had a brief scare when his car became airborne and glanced the armco barrier, which he attributed to turning in a little too early.
He also survived a dramatic 270 km/h clash with Maro Engel as Mercedes led the race overnight.
Through all of that, the No. 3 car stayed in front. Verstappen has long held an ambition to race at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and via his love of sim racing had completed thousands of laps of the circuit in the virtual world before finally getting the real thing.
He described racing on the Nordschleife as “what real motorsport is like,” telling ESPN he was seeking “old-school, proper racing.”
For 20-odd hours, it looked like the story would have the ending he wanted.
A mechanical failure with a handful of hours to go is about as brutal as endurance racing gets. The team was in position, the pace was there, and the lead was theirs. Now they’re watching from the pit lane while the sister car crosses the finish line without them.
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The car had been leading the sister No. 80 AMG, crewed by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz, for much of the race.
With Juncadella behind the wheel when trouble struck, the car limped into the pits and has remained there while the team attempts repairs. Engel’s No. 80 entry has since built a lead of over five minutes, with the stricken No. 3 sitting fifth.
A Race That Was Verstappen’s to Lose
The four-time F1 world champion had been one of the standout performers of the entire event.
Verstappen pulled nearly half a minute clear of the sister Winward Mercedes during his night driving stint, and the team had generally controlled the pace at the front throughout the overnight hours.
The team started fourth, but Juncadella moved to second on the opening lap before the polesitting Lamborghini suffered a puncture.
It wasn’t a clean run by any means. Verstappen had a brief scare when his car became airborne and glanced the armco barrier, which he attributed to turning in a little too early.
He also survived a dramatic 270 km/h clash with Maro Engel as Mercedes led the race overnight.
Through all of that, the No. 3 car stayed in front. Verstappen has long held an ambition to race at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and via his love of sim racing had completed thousands of laps of the circuit in the virtual world before finally getting the real thing.
He described racing on the Nordschleife as “what real motorsport is like,” telling ESPN he was seeking “old-school, proper racing.”
For 20-odd hours, it looked like the story would have the ending he wanted.
A mechanical failure with a handful of hours to go is about as brutal as endurance racing gets. The team was in position, the pace was there, and the lead was theirs. Now they’re watching from the pit lane while the sister car crosses the finish line without them.
Continue reading...
