Max Verstappen team ‘hurt’ by Nurburgring DSQ as apology issued

Winward Racing, the Mercedes customer outfit operating Max Verstappen’s Team Verstappen, says it “hurts” after the Red Bull F1 driver was disqualified at the Nurburgring on Saturday.

After making a number of appearances at the Nurburgring last year, Verstappen returned to the Nordschleife on Saturday in a break between races in the F1 calendar.

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The four-time F1 world champion, along with teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, dominated proceedings at the German venue.

Having set pole position by 1.9 seconds, Verstappen’s entry went on to win the four-hour race by 59 seconds.

However, the trio were disqualified in the hours after the race due to a tyre infringement.

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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 error occurring during qualifying.

Christian Hohenadel, the team principal of Winward Racing, which runs Verstappen’s entry under the banner of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, issued a short statement after the exclusion was confirmed.

He 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 Nurburgring Nordschleife.

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

“We will now thoroughly analyse the day, meticulously prepare for the remaining races, and work toward the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring with full concentration.”

Hohenadel’s comments come after Stefan Wendl, the head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing, said: “A mixed start to the 2026 Nurburgring season.

“We crossed the finish line first but were subsequently disqualified.

“During routine checks by the technical commission, it was found that the team used seven sets of tyres on race day, instead of the permitted six.

“The error occurred during qualifying, when multiple driver and tyre changes were practiced.

“An NLS weekend we won’t forget anytime soon: Great racing, incredible atmosphere and, initially, the joy of victory.

“The disappointment is all the greater as a behind-the-scenes mistake led to disqualification, which hurts.

“On the Nordschleife, everything must come together.

“Now, we focus on analysing, learning, and preparing for the upcoming races and the 24-hour highlight.”

Verstappen, who is yet to officially comment on the matter, was among 178,000 accounts to ‘like’ the statement on Instagram.

The 28-year-old’s disqualification comes as he prepares to participate in the Nurburgring 24 hours at the same venue in May.

The endurance classic will fall between the Miami and Canadian grands prix on the weekend of May 14-17.

Speaking after Saturday’s race at the Nordschleife, Verstappen did not rule out further appearances at the Nurburgring next month after the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix created a five-week gap in the F1 schedule.

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