Max Verstappen teammates respond to Nürburgring 24 Hours heartbreak

Max Verstappen’s teammate Daniel Juncadella says the #3 Mercedes crew was enjoying a “dream race” before a technical problem denied them victory in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Verstappen and teammates Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer has established a handsome lead with four hours left on the clock at the Nordschleife.

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However, Juncadella was forced to coast back to the pits after the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 car developed a driveshaft problem.

The #80 Mercedes entry – driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin – went on to take victory with Verstappen’s car coming home in 38th place.

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Juncadella says the Verstappen Racing crew was enjoying a “dream race” until the issue denied them the win.

He said: “The race went so well for us.

“We had a good start, great stints, the decision for rain tyres at the right moment.

“We had built up a two-minute lead over everyone else.

“Just a dream race, but unfortunately it was three hours too short and three hours too long for us.

“But that’s just how it is in racing.”

Auer added: “It was going great until we had to park the car. I’m really proud of the team because we did a great job.”

The drivers’ comments come after Stefan Wendel, the head of customer racing at Mercedes-AMG, explained how the problem developed.

Wendel said: “We’d received an ABS warning, but Daniel Juncadella said he could manage it.

“However, noises and vibrations then started, so he had to make an unscheduled pit stop after two laps.

“We then discovered damage to the drive shaft, which had caused further damage.

“We’re now repairing it and definitely want to get back out on track.”

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