In a major update, Max Verstappen and team were stripped of their win at the NLS2 at the Nurburgring on Saturday. This is because the team used more tire sets than permitted during the race at the Nordschleife.
Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, and Jules Gounon came together to drive the #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, operated by Winward, at the NLS2 and claimed a dominant victory. Verstappen reached the finish line to register what was a win with a 59-second margin to second place.
However, the #3 car was disqualified post-race due to a technical breach. This is related to tire rules, as the team apparently used seven sets of tires during the race rather than the allowed six sets.
This elementary mistake cost Verstappen and company the superior result on Saturday. It seemed that the Dutchman had made it two wins from two at the NLS after his win there last year, but now, the #99 Rowe BMW, driven by Jordan Pepper and Dan Harper, has been declared the winner.
While Verstappen, Juncadella, and Gounon were disqualified, their main purpose of competing at the NLS2 was achieved. The #3 team entered the race as part of their preparations for the Nurburgring 24 Hours, which will take place later in May.
Verstappen claimed that the most important takeaway for him from the weekend was the practice he had gotten under his belt ahead of the 24h event, which he is confirmed to be taking part in along with the same team, and Lucas Auer.
Winward boss apologizes to fans after Max Verstappen is stripped of his win at the NLS2
Winward Racing team principal, Christian Hohenadel, has apologized to the team’s fans after Max Verstappen and his team were disqualified from the NLS2 on Saturday. Hohenadel explained that an “internal error” led to the mistake with the tire sets, leading to their disqualification.
Speaking after the news broke, Hohenadel said (via Motorsport.com):
“The disqualification is tough to take. Unfortunately, we made an internal error that left the stewards with no choice but to exclude the winning car. It was our first outing as a full Mercedes-AMG Performance Team on the Nordschleife, and I want to apologize to all the fans who were cheering us on.”
“We’ll analyze every single process today, learn from it, and come back even stronger for the 24 Hours,” he added.
The #3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes will once again be operated by Winward at the Nurburgring 24 Hours. But it is now also possible that Max Verstappen returns for NLS3, as the 28-year-old said he was thinking about it following the cancellations of the F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
The canceled events mean the F1 calendar is now empty in April, and Verstappen could return to the Nurburgring-Nordschleife one more time before the main event.
Edited by Parag Jain
