Max Verstappen’s victory at the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie’s ADAC Barbarossapreis on Saturday has been overturned after post-race scrutineering revealed a tire violation. The disqualification comes as Verstappen prepares for his debut at the iconic Nürburgring 24 Hours in May.
Verstappen, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Verstappen Racing alongside teammates Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, initially secured the win after a dominant performance on the Nordschleife. He had previously won a GT3 race at the circuit last September in a Ferrari 296 GT3. Despite losing the lead on the opening lap to Christopher Haase in an Audi, Verstappen and his team battled back to establish a comfortable advantage before the final driver change.
The team had initially overcome a suspension issue discovered during Friday’s free practice and secured pole position with a lap time of 7:51.751, nearly two seconds faster than the rest of the field. Verstappen ultimately crossed the finish line with a 59-second lead. However, officials later determined that Verstappen Racing had used seven sets of tires during the race, exceeding the permitted limit of six.
As a result of the disqualification, the victory was awarded to Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper in the BMW M4 GT3 from Rowe Racing.
Verstappen is preparing for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, scheduled for May 16 and 17, where he will partner with Juncadella, Gounon and Lucas Auer. The disqualification comes during a period of schedule adjustments for the Formula 1 season, as the Bahreini and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix races were canceled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Verstappen has also been critical of the new F1 regulations this season, and experienced a challenging start to the year with a sixth-place finish in Australia and a technical issue in China.
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