Winward Racing secured victory at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours after a late mechanical failure denied the sister Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG what had looked like a memorable win on Max Verstappen’s debut at the event.
Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz took the win in the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3, giving Mercedes-AMG its first victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours since 2016. Their result came after the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer suffered a right-rear driveshaft failure with just over three hours remaining.
Until then, the #3 car had led the way and held a margin of more than 10 seconds, before Juncadella reported an ABS alarm and later felt noises and vibrations from the cockpit. He brought the car into the pits two laps after the first warning, where Mercedes diagnosed the issue that ended the crew’s victory charge.
Engel, Martin, Schiller and Stolz turn difficult Qualifying into victory at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
The result completed an impressive recovery for the #80 crew, which started 25th after Engel crashed during Qualifying. Despite that setback, the car rose through the order and became part of a dominant Mercedes-AMG display.
The #3 and #80 entries had started fourth and 25th respectively, but both made strong progress early on. As the race developed, the two Mercedes-AMGs established themselves as the leading force and repeatedly fought for control at the front.
From around the sixth hour onwards, the two Winward-run cars looked particularly strong in dry conditions. The #80 gained ground through strategy and clean running, while the #3 recovered from earlier fluctuations in pace to return to the lead fight. Together, they built a commanding advantage over the rest of the field.
Juncadella starts Verstappen Racing’s charge
Juncadella made an aggressive start in the #3 Mercedes and moved ahead of Scherer Audi driver Christopher Haase before gaining another position on the opening lap.
That additional place came after the polesitting Lamborghini suffered a puncture following contact from the #3 Mercedes at Turn 2. Abt boss Martin Tomczyk complained about the incident, but officials treated it as a racing incident.
The Lamborghini squad’s problems grew when its sister Huracán, which had also started on the front row, received a 32-second penalty for a jump start. Those moments helped Juncadella finish his opening stint in third, although traffic-related issues had briefly dropped him from second to fourth.
Verstappen takes control on debut
Verstappen replaced Juncadella after around 60 minutes and immediately delivered one of the defining stints of the race.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion stayed patient in traffic before launching decisive attacks on Christian Engelhart in the Konrad Lamborghini and Ayhancan Güven in the Manthey Porsche. Those moves put the #3 Mercedes into the lead battle as rain began to fall around parts of the Nordschleife.
By the end of his first stint, Verstappen had built a 23-second lead after three hours. His advantage then grew further when Kevin Estre crashed the Manthey Porsche following an oil spill at Brünnchen.
Gounon loses ground before Auer fights back
The gap that Verstappen created did not last. Gounon struggled for pace during what he later described as a difficult stint, and the #3 Mercedes lost positions to Christian Krognes in the Walkenhorst Aston Martin, Fabian Schiller in the #80 Mercedes and Connor de Phillippi in the Schubert BMW.
However, Verstappen Racing responded through the pit cycle. The #3 re-passed the Aston Martin and BMW during the stops, before Auer attacked Schiller around the six-hour mark.
From there, the two Mercedes-AMGs took control in the dry. The #80 remained in the fight through strong strategy and by avoiding trouble, while both cars repeatedly exchanged the overall lead.
Verstappen and Engel battle through the night at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
The fight reached its most intense point around the 11th hour, at approximately 2am local time, when Verstappen climbed back into the #3 Mercedes.
He quickly reduced a six-second deficit to Engel in the sister car, then overtook him on the Döttinger Höhe. Engel responded and tried to fight back near Tiergarten as the race entered its 12th hour.
The battle became physical when the two Mercedes drivers made wheel-to-wheel contact while also negotiating traffic. Verstappen held the middle of the road, while Engel ran onto the grass on the right and lost a couple of seconds.
With Mercedes seeking its first Nürburgring 24 Hours victory since 2016, the team then instructed both cars to hold position and protect a dominant one-two finish. The order appeared settled, with the #3 car leading and the #80 running second.
Driveshaft failure decides the race
As the race moved into its final three hours, Verstappen Racing looked on course for victory. The #3 Mercedes had built its lead to more than 20 seconds, while the rest of the field ran minutes behind the two leading cars.
Then, the situation changed suddenly. Juncadella received an ABS alarm and initially believed he could manage the warning. Soon after, noises and vibrations appeared inside the cockpit, and he brought the car into the pits two laps later.
Mercedes found a right-rear driveshaft failure, which ended the #3 crew’s fight for the win. Juncadella later denied that the issue came from the earlier contact between Verstappen and Engel.
Verstappen reacted on social media after the race, saying: “That’s it. A really tough one to take. From the lead, our car suffered a broken driveshaft, ending our fight for the win. Thank you all for your support throughout the weekend.”
#80 Mercedes completes landmark victory at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
With the sister car out of victory contention, the #80 Mercedes inherited the lead. Engel, Martin, Schiller and Stolz then brought the car home to secure a landmark result for Mercedes-AMG.
The #80 crossed the line 1m18s ahead of the polesitting Lamborghini crew of Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Patric Niederhauser. That result gave Mercedes-AMG its third victory at the historic endurance race.
Although the victory came after the #3 car’s late failure, the #80 crew had already produced a race-winning performance. They recovered from 25th on the grid, stayed in contention as several rivals hit trouble, and positioned themselves to take advantage when the lead changed hands.
Lamborghini recovers to second after opening-lap trouble
The Lamborghini that finished second had endured a difficult start despite taking pole. It suffered a puncture on the opening lap after the Turn 2 contact with Juncadella’s Mercedes, which forced it into recovery mode immediately.
Even so, Bortolotti, Engstler and Niederhauser fought back through the field and eventually secured second place behind the winning Mercedes.
Their result also came after a dramatic race for the wider Lamborghini effort, as the sister Huracán received an early 32-second penalty for jumping the start.
Walkenhorst Aston Martin completes the podium
The #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin finished third with Mattia Drudi, Felipe Fernandez Laser, Christian Krognes and Nick Thiim.
The Aston Martin remained a serious presence during the race and briefly moved ahead of the #3 Mercedes when Gounon struggled for pace. However, the Winward cars reclaimed control through the pitstops and gradually built a gap to the rest of the field.
Although the Aston Martin could not match the two Mercedes entries across the decisive stages, it still completed the overall podium ahead of BMW, Porsche and Ford representatives inside the top 10.
Leading contenders fall away in chaotic 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours race
The race also featured heavy attrition among major contenders.
Kevin Estre crashed the Manthey Porsche following an oil spill at Brünnchen, removing one of the strongest Porsche entries from contention. The incident also helped extend Verstappen’s early lead.
Last year’s winner, the ROWE BMW, retired after around eight hours because of a fuel tank issue. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s challenge ended early when its sole entry crashed out after running near the front.
Despite ROWE’s retirement, BMW remained represented near the front. Porsche and Ford also placed cars inside the top 10, underlining the depth of the field even after several high-profile exits.
Verstappen leaves with proof of pace but no trophy
Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24 Hours debut ended without the result his performance had promised. Across his stints, he showed pace, composure in traffic and the racecraft required to fight specialist GT drivers around one of the world’s most demanding circuits.
However, endurance racing once again punished even the strongest entry. Verstappen, Juncadella, Gounon and Auer had put the #3 Mercedes in position to win, but a late driveshaft failure turned a likely victory into heartbreak.
For Winward Racing and Mercedes-AMG, though, the result marked a major triumph. The #80 crew converted a difficult starting position into a famous victory and gave Mercedes its long-awaited return to the top step at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Results: 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
