Max Verstappen heartbreak gets harsh truth after Nürburgring win slips away
Max Verstappen is competing in his first Nürburgring 24 Hours
Kevin Estre knows better than most that the Nürburgring 24 Hours can be brutally cruel — and after Max Verstappen’s heartbreak, he says the Green Hell simply “picks its winner.”
From victory in 2021 to retirements and disqualifications, French racer Estre knows all too well how painfully the Green Hell can bite.
Max Verstappen told: Nürburgring picks its winner
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And that’s exactly what it did to Verstappen on Sunday morning as the race entered its final four hours.
Verstappen had impressed on his first appearance in the endurance classic as he shared a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella, taking the lead with a double overtake in his opening stint.
In the early hours of the morning in darkness, he battled fellow Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry Maro Engel for the lead. He passed Engel down the Döttinger Straight and then held off the German’s fightback into Tiergarten before pulling clear.
The Verstappen Racing quartet held a handsome lead with four hours left on the clock before disaster struck and ended the #3 car’s victory hopes.
Juncadella was behind the wheel at the beginning of the final four hours when a driveshaft problem sent him back into the pits.
The #3 was effectively out of the race.
Although the team repaired the car so that it could cross the finish line, it did so in 38th place.
Estre says that’s the story of the Nürburgring, it decides who will win.
“Big respect as well for car #3. Sorry for them, they had a great race and Max proved for sure that he’s an amazing driver and can adapt quickly to very tough conditions,” he said.
“But,” he continued, “the Nürburgring also picks its winner.
“It’s a tough one as we know.”
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Estre also experienced yet more disappointment with his Porsche 911 GT3 R, entered by Manthey Racing along with Matt Campbell, Thomas Preining and Ayhancan Guven, failing to finish after an early crash.
The incident occurred shortly before the third round of pit stops with Estre losing control after hitting oil on the circuit while driving through the Brünnchen section.
The car went spinning backwards into the barrier, causing severe damage to the rear and engine area.
Although Estre escaped without injury, the impact forced Manthey to retire the car immediately.
“Unfortunately, our race ended very early,” said Estre.
“I was in my second stint, on the second lap, in Brünnchen. I had just overtaken another car when I suddenly lost the rear due to oil on the track.
“There were no flags and no car ahead to warn me. I hit the barrier and the rear of the car was heavily damaged.
“I’m very sorry for the entire team – they did a fantastic job all week, as always, so this is a tough situation to accept. But that’s motorsport, and especially at the Nürburgring, anything can happen.
“Thanks to all the fans for the amazing support – I couldn’t be more grateful and was really happy to see so many people trackside.”
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