Hamir Thapir examines the main talking poitns from the Nurburgring 24 Hours
After drawing a capacity crowd for the first time in its history, the 2026 running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours did not disappoint.
A surprise winner, unusual entrants and major heartbreak all made for an absorbing event. Here are five major flashpoints from the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Fortune deserts Verstappen
Even since taking victory at his first GT3 NLS outing in 2025, Max Verstappen has endured a near comical run of bad luck. The four-time Formula 1 world champion was stripped of his win at NLS 2 this year due to a tyre irregularity, while another likely win at the very next round fell victim to a splitter issue.
Verstappen, along with his co-drivers Dani Juncadella Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer looked set to head home a Mercedes 1-2, before a driveshaft problem surfaced with less than four hours to go. Winward Racing worked tirelessly to get the No.3 Mercedes back out and it eventually took the chequered flag, albeit 21 laps down in 38th place.
Despite the disappointment, this race has only strengthened the claim that Verstappen has what it takes to prevail at the Nürburgring. Never mind his breathtaking passes on the likes of Jesse Krohn and Kevin Estre, Verstappen was completely unphased during his night stints.
Having chased down Maro Engel in the No.80 Mercedes, he pulled off a brilliant move at Tiergarten and built a lead of nearly half a minute by the end of his night shift.
When asked about his future aspirations, Verstappen did little to hide his desire to contest the N24 again, stating that it is “something I want to do every single year, with one car or multiple cars”.
Future engagements are going to be schedule specific but if his current form is anything to go by, Verstappen has what it takes to taste victory at the Nürburgring.
Dacia gets the popular vote
If online chatter is anything to go by the No.300 Dacia Logan run by Olli’s Garage was the moral victor of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. A product of the event’s large and varied grid, the Logan was one of seven cars entered in the SP 3T category.
Driven by Oliver Kriese, Christian Geilfus, Robert Neumann and Alexander Becker, the Logan had an eventful race.
Multiple spins, a penalty for an illegal U-turn and a misfiring engine were just some of the issues that beset the No.300 crew.
The car was later towed back to the pits after losing a wheel but managed to finish the race 120th out of 150 finishers.
A slew of post-race penalties elevated the Logan to 107th place, a valiant effort for a crew that arguably attracted as much attention as those fighting for the overall win.
Heartbreak for Estre
Having triumphed at the Nürburgring in 2021 and narrowly missed out on victory last year, Kevin Estre and the No.911 ‘Grellow’ Porsche were widely regarded as pre-event favourites. Initial signs looked promising as Estre made swift progress from his eighth-place grid slot to join the lead pack.
However, any hopes of a redemption story were dashed less than four hours in, when Estre hit an unsighted patch of oil at Brunnchen and spun into the barriers. A heartbreaking incident that denied us the chance to see a potential between Verstappen and arguably the best of the ‘Ring regulars.
Mercedes take the spoils
Team Verstappen’s late retirement is likely to have caused some relief among the No.80 crew of Fabian Schilles, Maro Engel, Maxime Martin and Luca Stolz.
After pulling clear of the field, the No.80 Mercedes jostled for the lead with the No.3 during the night.
Despite an unnerving coming together at Tiergarten where Verstappen and Engel very nearly wiped each other out, the No.80 car held firm and, once the sister Mercedes fell out of contention, was left free to come home over two minutes clear of field. Mercedes first overall win in a decade and only the second in their history.
Lamborghini wonders what might have been
The No.80 Mercedes’ road to victory could have been more complicated were it not for Lamborghini’s misfortune.
After locking out the front row in qualifying, the team’s race begun to unravel as soon as the lights went out. The No.130 car, driven by Marco Mapelli, was deemed to have jumped the start and was duly dealt a 32-second penalty.
After losing the lead at the start, the No.84 car was left vulnerable to the Team Verstappen Mercedes behind, a collision on the grand prix circuit caused a puncture and relegated the team to 49th place.
The No.84 car’s pace was evident throughout, as it secured the fastest lap of the race. A mighty 8.08.758s that was only seven tenths off the race lap record.
It eventually finished second, an impressive recovery albeit that will be of little consolation to a team that had the wherewithal to take the overall win.
After drawing a capacity crowd for the first time in its history, the 2026 running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours did not disappoint.
A surprise winner, unusual entrants and major heartbreak all made for an absorbing event. Here are five major flashpoints from the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Fortune deserts Verstappen
Even since taking victory at his first GT3 NLS outing in 2025, Max Verstappen has endured a near comical run of bad luck. The four-time Formula 1 world champion was stripped of his win at NLS 2 this year due to a tyre irregularity, while another likely win at the very next round fell victim to a splitter issue.
Verstappen, along with his co-drivers Dani Juncadella Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer looked set to head home a Mercedes 1-2, before a driveshaft problem surfaced with less than four hours to go. Winward Racing worked tirelessly to get the No.3 Mercedes back out and it eventually took the chequered flag, albeit 21 laps down in 38th place.
Despite the disappointment, this race has only strengthened the claim that Verstappen has what it takes to prevail at the Nürburgring. Never mind his breathtaking passes on the likes of Jesse Krohn and Kevin Estre, Verstappen was completely unphased during his night stints.
Having chased down Maro Engel in the No.80 Mercedes, he pulled off a brilliant move at Tiergarten and built a lead of nearly half a minute by the end of his night shift.
When asked about his future aspirations, Verstappen did little to hide his desire to contest the N24 again, stating that it is “something I want to do every single year, with one car or multiple cars”.
Future engagements are going to be schedule specific but if his current form is anything to go by, Verstappen has what it takes to taste victory at the Nürburgring.
Dacia gets the popular vote
If online chatter is anything to go by the No.300 Dacia Logan run by Olli’s Garage was the moral victor of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. A product of the event’s large and varied grid, the Logan was one of seven cars entered in the SP 3T category.
Driven by Oliver Kriese, Christian Geilfus, Robert Neumann and Alexander Becker, the Logan had an eventful race.
Multiple spins, a penalty for an illegal U-turn and a misfiring engine were just some of the issues that beset the No.300 crew.
The car was later towed back to the pits after losing a wheel but managed to finish the race 120th out of 150 finishers.
A slew of post-race penalties elevated the Logan to 107th place, a valiant effort for a crew that arguably attracted as much attention as those fighting for the overall win.
Heartbreak for Estre
Having triumphed at the Nürburgring in 2021 and narrowly missed out on victory last year, Kevin Estre and the No.911 ‘Grellow’ Porsche were widely regarded as pre-event favourites. Initial signs looked promising as Estre made swift progress from his eighth-place grid slot to join the lead pack.
However, any hopes of a redemption story were dashed less than four hours in, when Estre hit an unsighted patch of oil at Brunnchen and spun into the barriers. A heartbreaking incident that denied us the chance to see a potential between Verstappen and arguably the best of the ‘Ring regulars.
Mercedes take the spoils
Team Verstappen’s late retirement is likely to have caused some relief among the No.80 crew of Fabian Schilles, Maro Engel, Maxime Martin and Luca Stolz.
After pulling clear of the field, the No.80 Mercedes jostled for the lead with the No.3 during the night.
Despite an unnerving coming together at Tiergarten where Verstappen and Engel very nearly wiped each other out, the No.80 car held firm and, once the sister Mercedes fell out of contention, was left free to come home over two minutes clear of field. Mercedes first overall win in a decade and only the second in their history.
Lamborghini wonders what might have been
The No.80 Mercedes’ road to victory could have been more complicated were it not for Lamborghini’s misfortune.
After locking out the front row in qualifying, the team’s race begun to unravel as soon as the lights went out. The No.130 car, driven by Marco Mapelli, was deemed to have jumped the start and was duly dealt a 32-second penalty.
After losing the lead at the start, the No.84 car was left vulnerable to the Team Verstappen Mercedes behind, a collision on the grand prix circuit caused a puncture and relegated the team to 49th place.
The No.84 car’s pace was evident throughout, as it secured the fastest lap of the race. A mighty 8.08.758s that was only seven tenths off the race lap record.
It eventually finished second, an impressive recovery albeit that will be of little consolation to a team that had the wherewithal to take the overall win.
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