Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen endured a frustrating end to his NLS5 outing at the Nürburgring on Sunday, April 19, after a race that had initially promised so much. Competing in the NLS5 round of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, Verstappen looked firmly in control during the early stages of the four-hour contest before a sudden technical issue derailed his charge.
Victory ultimately went to the Scherer Sport PHX Audi trio of Ben Green, Christopher Haase, and Alexander Sims. The Audi crew had been locked in a tense battle with Verstappen before misfortune struck the Dutchman and his team-mate Lucas Auer.
The race began with Dennis Marschall starting from pole position for Realize Kondo with Rinaldi-Ferrari, after Thierry Vermeulen produced an eye-catching lap in Top Qualifying. However, the lead changed hands quickly. Just one and a half laps into the race, Haase made a decisive move at Kesselchen to seize first place. Verstappen, driving the Mercedes entry, wasted no time responding. Starting from fifth, he carved his way through the field, overtaking Marschall, Thomas Preining in the Manthey Porsche, and Moritz Kranz in the BMW to climb into second.
By lap four, Verstappen was applying heavy pressure on Haase and completed a bold pass heading toward Schwedenkreuz to take the lead. A sequence of wheel-to-wheel exchanges followed, but the reigning F1 champion consistently maintained the upper hand, gradually asserting his pace advantage over the Audi.
His first stint proved particularly effective. Verstappen managed to stretch his run so efficiently that he emerged from his pit stop with a 20-second time gain, rejoining the race with a comfortable margin. He soon extended that gap to roughly 30 seconds over Sims, seemingly putting himself in prime position to fight for overall victory.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically around 38 minutes into his second stint. Verstappen reported severe vibrations before realizing that the car’s splitter had detached entirely. The team elected to bring the Mercedes into the garage to prevent further damage. According to Winward Racing’s Director of Operations, Steve Buschmann, the focus turned to repairing the car and using the remainder of the race as valuable testing time.
Verstappen later explained that the failure came without warning, insisting he had made no contact. The unexpected issue ended what had looked like a commanding performance, turning a potential triumph into a disappointing conclusion at the Nürburgring.