Max Verstappen and the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing have been disqualified from their 2026 NLS2 victory in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) after post-race scrutineering revealed a breach of tyre regulations.
The Dutch driver had initially secured a commanding win aboard the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, sharing the car with Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella. However, officials later excluded the #3 entry after determining it exceeded the permitted tyre allocation.
Team disqualified as tyre allocation breach undoes strong 2026 NLS2 race effort by Verstappen Racing
According to the official findings, the car used 28 individual tyres across the race—well above the maximum allowance of 24. In regulatory terms, this equated to seven sets of tyres instead of the permitted six.
As a result, race control disqualified the Winward Racing-run entry approximately two hours after the chequered flag. The decision overturned what had been a dominant on-track performance.
Before the penalty, Verstappen and his team-mates had delivered an impressive display at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The trio controlled much of the race after an intense early battle with Christopher Haase in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II run by Scherer Sport PHX.
Ultimately, the Mercedes-AMG crossed the line nearly a minute ahead, seemingly sealing Verstappen’s second NLS victory in just his second top-class appearance. Nevertheless, the post-race ruling erased that result from the record books.
Team reaction: “The disqualification is tough to take”
In the aftermath, Christian Hohenadel, team principal of Winward Racing, addressed the situation candidly, saying, “The disqualification hurts. Unfortunately, a mistake was made within our team, which forced race control to disqualify the winning car retrospectively.
“It was our first outing as the Mercedes-AMG Performance Team on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I would like to apologize to everyone who was cheering us on. We will now analyze the day thoroughly, meticulously prepare for the upcoming races, and work with full concentration towards the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring.”
BMW crew of Harper and Pepper inherit 2026 NLS victory
Following the disqualification, the win passed to the ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO driven by Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper.
The pair had originally finished second on the road after a competitive race, and they now officially claim victory. Notably, their car had faced late pressure from the Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller, crossing the line just one second apart in what ultimately became the battle for the win.
