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Max Verstappen DQ’d at Nurburgring GT3 RaceMercedes-AMG
Four-time F1 champ Max Verstappen, who has recently been bemoaning the state of F1 competition, comparing it to Mario Kart, went out and raced in a GT3 car at the Nurburgring. He did well. Took pole and won the four-hour race by a minute. Then was disqualified because the team had used one too many sets of tires in the four-hour race.
Once the error was discovered, the win was handed to second-place No. 99 BMW M4 GT3 EVO team of ROWE Racing. Rowe won last year’s ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring after a dramatic late-race penalty was applied to the leading Manthey EMA Porsche.
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Max on the final lap, one minute up on the field.ADAC
This weekend’s mishap, meanwhile, was a simple error. The German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport explained very politely how the mistake might have happened:
“Anyone familiar with the Nordschleife scene knows that this wasn't intentional; rather, teams that don't regularly compete in the Eifel region have often stumbled over the specific rules. This was also the case for Winward Racing, who were making their debut as the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team in the NLS. ‘We will now analyze the day thoroughly, meticulously prepare for the upcoming races, and work with full concentration towards the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring,’ said team principal Christian Hohenadel.”
So no intentional foul, just way too many rules for what is, essentially, a new team to this type of racing.
Verstappen also won in another four-hour race at the Nurburgring last year driving a Red Bull-liveried Ferrari 296 GT3. This weekend’s race was his second in the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) series, this time driving a Red-Bull-sponsored Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Winward Racing, partnered with co-pilotes Joules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
Verstappen took advantage of a caution-free qualifying lap to take the pole in 7:51.751 in dry conditions. Once the four-hour NLS2 race got underway Saturday, you might expect the four-time F1 champ to skate away ahead of the pack. But The Green Hell doesn’t cut anyone any slack.
With Max taking the first stint, he got away cleanly on the start but was soon passed by the No.16 Audi driven by Christopher Haase.
Again, Auto Motor und Sport has the call:
“At the start of the race, Verstappen engaged in a fierce duel with Audi driver and Nordschleife veteran Christopher Haase. Although the Formula 1 pro managed to get ahead at the start, Haase overtook him on the long straight at Döttinger Höhe at the end of the first lap. Verstappen remained within striking distance, even briefly touching the rear of the Audi R8 LMS during lapped traffic, but he couldn't quite get past. Moreover, he encountered a yellow flag period that Haase missed entirely. Finally, at the end of his stint, Verstappen launched his move against Haase in the final meters before the Hohenrain chicane, taking the lead before pitting shortly afterwards.”
Of that first-stint duel, on a scale of 1-10, Max said it “was definitely a 10.”
He was having fun, even attending the drivers’ meeting with everyone else, like a regular Joe. Or a Max.
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The happy winners. Before the tire count.ADAC
By the end of the four-hour race he seemed to be very happy to be there.
“It’s super enjoyable,” he told the interviewer on the YouTube feed, when he still thought the team had won. “The team prepared the car really well. It was a really good experience for me. For me, this is one of the craziest tracks in the world. In a good way. I’ve been watching this for a very long time and it’s one of these races that you just want to compete in. At least, finally, this year I have the chance to do it. For the future it depends on what the calendar allows me to do. I’ll try to do it as much as I can.”
Does that mean he’ll come back in three weeks, he was asked? (For another four-hour NLS race April 11) “It depends on what happens. But I am always happy to race here.”
His goal at the ‘Ring is to race in the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring May 14-17, dates that fall nicely in between the Miami Grand Prix May 1-3 and the Canadian GP May 22-24. Now that they understand the whole tire thing, the team, and the four-time F1 champ, look like they’ll be back.
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