Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring outing has taken an early setback after his team was penalized following an incident in qualifying for the ADAC 24h Qualifiers race on the Nordschleife.
The #3 Verstappen Racing entry, shared by Max Verstappen and Lucas Auer, has been handed a three-place grid penalty after stewards reviewed a collision that occurred during Saturday morning’s qualifying session. At the time of the incident, Auer was driving the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and was involved in contact with the #941 Porsche.
According to the stewards’ findings, Auer was judged to be responsible for the collision. The contact caused the #941 Porsche to lose control, ultimately veering off toward the barriers. While the situation did not result in more severe consequences, it was deemed significant enough to warrant an immediate investigation.
Following that review, officials concluded that the #3 car had caused the collision, leading to the penalty decision. As a result, Verstappen and Auer’s car has been dropped three positions on the starting grid for the first four-hour race of the weekend. What had initially been a promising sixth-place qualifying result has now turned into a ninth-place start.
The penalty adds an extra layer of difficulty for the Verstappen Racing crew as they prepare for the race, which is scheduled to begin at 17:30 CET. Starting further down the order on the notoriously challenging Nordschleife circuit means the duo will need to navigate traffic carefully while attempting to recover lost ground.
Despite the setback, the team still has a competitive package and will be aiming to fight their way back through the field during the race. Endurance events at the Nürburgring are often unpredictable, with strategy, consistency, and incident avoidance playing major roles in the final outcome.
For Verstappen, who continues to expand his racing activities beyond Formula 1, this event serves as another valuable experience in GT and endurance racing. However, the grid penalty ensures that his latest challenge at the Nürburgring begins with added pressure and a tougher route toward a strong result.