Max Verstappen’s Nuburgring 24 hour race hit by 32 penalties to the…. see details in the comment
Max Verstappen saw his hopes of winning the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hours take an unexpected turn less than an hour into the race, as the early leader was handed a significant penalty.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion is competing in one of the toughest endurance races in the world this weekend, temporarily stepping away from his usual duties with Red Bull Racing to join a star-studded Mercedes-AMG lineup. Verstappen is sharing the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Dani Juncadella, Lucas Auer, and Jules Gounon.
Although Verstappen qualified strongly, he did not take the opening stint. Instead, Juncadella started the race from fourth on the grid and wasted no time moving forward. On the very first lap, the Spaniard gained two positions and climbed to second place, immediately placing the Verstappen Racing Mercedes in contention for victory.
Juncadella then set off in pursuit of pole-sitter Marco Mapelli, who was leading in the Lamborghini. However, while trying to maintain pressure, Juncadella made a small but costly error at the fast Stefan Bellof S section of the Nordschleife. Running onto the grass forced him to back off and lose momentum, allowing Maximilian Paul and Kevin Estre to overtake.
That mistake dropped the No. 3 Mercedes to fourth, but the race was soon turned on its head by a steward investigation involving Mapelli. Officials reviewed the start and concluded that the Italian had committed a jump start while the field was still under rolling conditions.
As a result, Mapelli was issued a 32-second time penalty. He served the sanction at his next pit stop, dramatically reshuffling the order at the front.
With the Lamborghini delayed, Verstappen’s team moved back into third position. At that point, the Mercedes was less than five seconds behind the new race leader, Maximilian Paul, who was driving for the Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini squad.
Just before the race reached the one-hour mark, Verstappen climbed into the car for his first stint. The Dutch superstar took over from Juncadella during a scheduled stop and rejoined the race in 10th place.
The drop down the order was partly due to pit strategy. Juncadella’s seven-lap opening stint was followed by a stop lasting just over three minutes, and several rivals gained an advantage by pitting earlier and executing a successful undercut.
Despite that setback, Verstappen remained firmly in the hunt. With more than 23 hours of racing still ahead, the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG continued to be considered one of the strongest contenders for overall victory in the iconic endurance classic.