Max Verstappen delivered a remarkable performance at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours as Verstappen Racing pushed itself firmly into contention for a breakthrough victory in the famous endurance race. After almost nine hours of racing around the Nordschleife, the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 shared by Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer led a Mercedes 1-2 in increasingly difficult conditions.
The #80 AMG driven by Maxime Martin, Maro Engel, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz stayed within touching distance throughout the evening, trailing the leading car by just over a second as darkness arrived at the circuit.
However, the race already produced dramatic moments long before nightfall, with changing weather conditions, penalties and incidents constantly reshuffling the order.
Early drama shakes up the front as Juncadella puts the #3 in second place at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
Verstappen Racing started fourth on the grid, yet Daniel Juncadella immediately launched an aggressive opening lap to move into second place. The Spaniard overtook Christopher Haase’s Scherer Audi before polesitter Mirko Bortolotti suffered a puncture following contact with the #3 AMG at Turn 2.
The incident immediately sparked controversy inside the Lamborghini camp. Abt boss Martin Tomczyk criticised the move, although officials ultimately ruled the clash a racing incident.
Meanwhile, Abt’s problems worsened when its second Lamborghini Huracan received a 32-second penalty for a jump start committed by Marco Mapelli at the end of the opening hour.
Although traffic later slowed Juncadella’s progress and dropped him from second to fourth, Verstappen Racing remained firmly in touch with the leaders as Max Verstappen prepared to take over the Mercedes.
Verstappen produces a stunning double stint
Once Verstappen climbed aboard the #3 AMG, the complexion of the race changed dramatically. The four-time Formula 1 world champion immediately began carving his way through traffic with patience and precision around the unforgiving Nordschleife.
After rejoining in 10th position, Verstappen steadily picked off rivals while navigating slower traffic. He first overtook Christian Engelhart’s Konrad Lamborghini with a decisive move down the inside at Sabine Schmitz Kurve.
Soon afterwards, Verstappen turned his attention towards the Manthey Racing Porsche, which remained one of the key contenders for overall victory. With rain beginning to fall for the first time, Verstappen hunted down Ayhancan Güven and eventually completed another bold move down the inside into Turn 1.
From that moment onwards, Verstappen completely controlled the race pace. While rivals struggled with the changing grip levels, the Dutchman consistently delivered lap times nobody else could match. Consequently, he completed his two-hour stint with a commanding 23-second advantage over the Porsche.
Verstappen later explained how traffic management and changing weather conditions played a major role in his success during the stint.
“Initially I was a bit stuck in traffic,” said Verstappen, “So it was a bit difficult to clear the cars. But once I cleared a few of them and then the weather kicked in with a few laps of slippery conditions, that’s I think where we made a difference.
“And then the car was good. Trying to stay out of trouble, but at the same time you have to push and you have to try and be on the limit, which is always, I think, a difficult compromise to find, but it worked out fine.”
Manthey suffers costly setback at 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
Although Verstappen Racing looked increasingly comfortable at the front, the race shifted again during the next sequence of stints. Jules Gounon struggled to maintain Verstappen’s pace, which allowed the Manthey Porsche to rapidly close the gap.
Kévin Estre, now back aboard the Porsche after Güven’s stint, immediately began charging towards the leading Mercedes. Within only 20 minutes, the Frenchman slashed the deficit from 20 seconds to just six.
However, the battle abruptly ended when Estre encountered oil on the track at Brünnchen. The Porsche spun heavily and crashed out less than four hours into the race, eliminating one of the strongest challengers for victory.
Initially, Verstappen Racing appeared ready to regain full control of the event. Nevertheless, worsening weather conditions soon created fresh complications for Gounon.
Mercedes battle intensifies into the night as Aston Martin and BMW remain in pursuit
Rain intensified around the Nordschleife and several rivals rapidly closed on the struggling #3 AMG. Christian Krognes in the Walkenhorst Aston Martin, Fabian Schiller in the sister Mercedes and Connor de Phillippi in the Schubert BMW all overtook Gounon during a difficult stint.
Despite the setbacks, Verstappen Racing recovered strongly through the pitstop cycle. The team regained positions over the Aston Martin and BMW before Lucas Auer passed Schiller to reclaim the overall lead for the #3 Mercedes.
However, the intra-Mercedes battle continued to swing back and forth. Luca Stolz later moved the #80 AMG ahead at the end of the seventh hour before Daniel Juncadella reclaimed the lead midway through the ninth hour.
As the race entered its overnight phase, the battle for victory remained exceptionally tight between the two Mercedes entries.
Additionally, while Mercedes controlled the top two positions after nine hours, several manufacturers remained firmly in contention behind them. The Walkenhorst Aston Martin, driven by Nicki Thiim, occupied third place and continued to pressure the leading pair whenever conditions became more difficult.
Meanwhile, the Schubert BMW driven by Jens Klingmann held fourth position ahead of the Rowe BMW piloted by Max Hesse, ensuring the fight for overall victory remained wide open heading deeper into the Nürburgring night.
With rapidly changing weather, heavy traffic and the relentless challenge of the Nordschleife still to come, Verstappen Racing nevertheless emerged as one of the strongest contenders for a memorable first Nürburgring 24 Hours triumph.
