Schumacher brands Winward ‘amateurs’ after Verstappen Nürburgring disqualification shock

Ralf Schumacher has slammed Winward Racing as “amateurs” after a costly tyre error led to Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring GT3 victory being stripped.

Verstappen made the most of an off-weekend for Formula 1 as he climbed behind the wheel of a Mercedes GT3 car to contest the NLS2 race at the Nürburgring, as part of his preparation for May’s Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Ralf Schumacher criticises Winward Racing over Max Verstappen disqualification

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Verstappen and his teammates, Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon, won the race by 59 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. However, disaster struck post-race when the team was disqualified due to a tyre infringement.

It emerged that Verstappen’s crew had used seven sets of tyres over the course of the day instead of the permitted six, with the breach traced back to qualifying.

Christian Hohenadel, the team principal of Winward Racing, which runs Verstappen’s entry under the banner of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, said: “The disqualification hurts.

“Unfortunately, a mistake was made within the team that forced race control to retroactively disqualify the winning car.

“For us, this was our first outing as a Mercedes-AMG Performance team on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

“I would like to apologise to everyone who was rooting for us.”

His apology, though, didn’t go down well with former F1 driver Schumacher.

The German knows the team well as his son David raced for Winward Racing in DTM and also in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Schumacher branded Winward as amateurs and claimed he was not shocked to learn of their mistake with Verstappen’s tyres.

“It was a huge beginner’s mistake, a mistake by the team,” Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

“I know the team – my son (David) also drove for it. I am also familiar with the team manager.

“I was not surprised that this happened. In the past, a lot of things happened there. They don’t take it so seriously and seem to have other priorities than focusing on the essentials, so it doesn’t surprise me at all.

“If Max Verstappen participates, you check everything two or even three times, and then you manage to count a set of tyres incorrectly or make a wrong choice.

“It’s just as bad as that time when Ferrari was ready for a three-tyre pit stop. There is little else to say about that. Six sets of tyres, six. That must be clear.”

Verstappen and his team, along with Winward Racing, may have another opportunity to get it right before the 24-hour race as the four-time F1 champion may also contest a NLS race in April.

Due to the Middle East conflict, the Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled.

“We’ll check it,” said the 28-year-old. “I try to be here as often as possible.

“It’s always fun, this whole area is just incredible, the fans are so enthusiastic about racing. I’m happy to be part of it.”

The third race of the series will take place on 11 April, while qualifying for the 24-hour race takes place on the 18th and 19th.

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