Nürburgring 24 Hours: Max Verstappen heartbreak as Mercedes problem loses win

Mercedes salvaged victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, but it was not the Max Verstappen and Co. win that looked set to arrive.

Disaster struck for the #3 Mercedes in the closing stages, as a driveshaft problem saw the then-leading car plummet from the lead. One Mercedes’ misfortune was another’s gain, as the #80 Mercedes drove on to what became a comfortable win.

Nürburgring 24 disaster for Max Verstappen and teammates

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It was an eventful start to the 24-hour spectacle, one which saw Daniel Juncadella take the start in the #3 Mercedes.

The #130 Lamborghini, which led early on, was hit with a 32-second penalty for a jump start. Mirko Bortolotti, in the #84 Lamborghini, peeled off into the pit lane with a puncture. Juncadella was up to second, but kicking up dirt and losing momentum, dropped down to fourth in a frenetic opening to the race.

As Max Verstappen tagged in for his hotly-anticipated debut, a charge into the lead at the six-hour mark followed for the four-time world champion.

Verstappen’s double stint saw him pull off a very risky pass on the #47 Mercedes-AMG with two wheels on the grass, before slicing up the inside of the #911 Porsche into the first corner.

The highlight reel was extended by a double overtake going down the Dottinger Straight on the leading duo, the #67 Ford Mustang and the #34 Aston Martin.

Verstappen had created a 20-second lead as he handed the #3 Mercedes over to Jules Gounon.

Lucas Auer was next up, and claimed the #80, then driven by Fabian Schiller, in a move around the outside of Schwedenkreuz to re-take the lead.

Back behind the wheel as darkness fell, Verstappen emerged unscathed from a 270km/h scare.

The #3 and #80 Mercedes had broken away out front, as Verstappen and Maro Engel engaged in battle for the lead.

Hunted down and passed by Verstappen down Döttinger Höhe, Engel looked to respond.

The pair were nose to tail as they re-entered Döttinger Höhe, with Verstappen approaching two slower cars.

Engel moved right to pass around the outside, Verstappen also moved left to avoid the traffic.

The two Mercedes banged doors at top speed, around 270km/h, pushing Engel onto the grass as he approached Hohenrain chicane. Engel, miraculously, held his Mercedes, avoiding further contact, and re-joined the track in P2.

Team Verstappen remained in control as dawn broke.

Gounon was in for Verstappen, before the Frenchman passed the #3 Mercedes to Auer. The #3 and #80 Mercedes escaped an oil spill at Aremberg without drama, one which sent several runners bouncing through the gravel.

That did not include the Dacia Logan, which was rapidly gaining a cult following, and was up to the challenge of an oil slick.

It was looking like a lost wheel had finished the Dacia, but it rose again with an hour and a half left on the clock. It finished 120th.

The #3 Mercedes led by north of 30 seconds as Verstappen boxed to end his latest stint, handing over to Juncadella.

But, disaster soon struck for Verstappen’s team.

Just three laps after pitting, Juncadella was back in the pit lane. The car returned to the garage, with the right-rear wheel off. A disappointed Juncadella climbed out, as it became clear that this was to be no quick fix.

The #3 Mercedes plummeted down the order, as drive shaft damage was discovered, damage which had triggered further ramifications.

Heartbreak for Max Verstappen and Co, as the #80 Mercedes took over the lead.

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Potential competition for the #80 emerged in the form of the #84 Lamborghini. An 86-second penalty, however, for violating a Code 60 zone, complicated the #84’s cause. That later became a penalty of one minute and 24 seconds to be added to its time.

Approaching the final 30 minutes, the #80 had gained firm control. It led by four-and-a-half minutes from the P2 #34 Aston Martin, ahead of the final pit stops.

The weather had been anything but predictable throughout the race weekend, and drizzle had returned to grease up the track.

A smooth stop and intermediate tyres for the #80, as the radar threatened heavier rain to come.

The #3 Mercedes did return to the track, Juncadella at the wheel, to take the finish.

The #80 Mercedes now led by two minutes and 50 seconds from the #84 Lamborghini, but the conditions were treacherous as the rain intensified.

Engel was up to the task, and came across the line in the #80 to secure victory for the Winward Racing crew.

The #34 Aston Martin looked destined for second, but a late Code 60 swung things back in the favour of the penalised #84 Lamborghini, which dramatically clung on to P2 by 16 seconds.

Nürburgring 24 Hours full results.

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