GT / Tourism

Disqualified, the Mercedes of Verstappen-Gounon-Juncadella loses its victory

Having won earlier in the day, the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG of Max Verstappen, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella was disqualified from the NLS round at the Nürburgring.

Published 21/03/2026 à 20:29

Michael Duforest

  Comment on this article! 5

Disqualified, the Mercedes of Verstappen-Gounon-Juncadella loses its victory

© Verstappen.com Racing

We had left Max Verstappen Having won twice on the Nordschleife in as many GT3 attempts, this is no longer the case. The Dutch driver, who crossed the finish line victorious after a masterful race alongside his teammates Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella, lost the win due to a disqualification.

The infraction was discovered during post-race inspections, particularly those related to the NLS tire application. Mercedes BenzThe AMG #3 car used seven sets of tires instead of the maximum six allowed for the race, and the stewards had no choice but to disqualify the winning car. BMW therefore takes the victory, with the Rowe Racing car driven by Jordan Pepper and Dan Harper.

"This disqualification hurts.", explained Christian Hohenadel, team principal of Winward Racing, who operated the car of Verstappen, Gounon and Juncadella. “Unfortunately, there was an error within the team which forced race control to disqualify the car. This was our first outing as the Mercedes-AMG Performance team on the Nordschleife. I would like to apologize to all our fans. We will analyze the situation and continue to prepare as best we can for the upcoming events, including the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.”

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ALSO READ > NLS2: Verstappen-Gounon-Juncadella (Mercedes) winners on the Nordschleife

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Comments

5 Comment (s)

B

Ben

22/03/2026 at 07:57 a.m.

We need to put things in perspective. There are more serious things in life... And Max had a good time, that's the main thing; motorsport is really just one big game...

A

Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)

22/03/2026 at 07:32 a.m.

I'm at the hotel having a coffee, but the atmosphere among the few people here isn't great. We were all here for Max's triumph, but unfortunately, one pit stop too many... was a disaster... Around noon... I'll be home. As you all know, I'm a fan... of Niki, Gilles, Alain, Michael... and Max, and many others... The atmosphere at the hotel is at its lowest; most people were here for him... 😎 Max 👍 Alain Féguenne F1 Competitions - 24 Hours of Le Mans - WEC

R

RM

21/03/2026 at 11:51 a.m.

I'd like to understand one thing: changing tires means a pit stop. So the Mercedes stopped 7 times instead of 6. Right? A pit stop costs time, and they won by a comfortable margin, didn't they? Someone needs to explain this to me…

B

Ben

21/03/2026 at 10:28 a.m.

Big mistake by the team and obviously it's understandable to lose ground in those circumstances, but a good performance nonetheless...

A

Alain Féguenne (🇱🇺 Luxembourg)

21/03/2026 at 09:38 a.m.

A real shock (a freezing cold shower) after Verstappen's Mercedes was disqualified... ‼️. What more can I say... I can't even describe the atmosphere here. 😎👀🥶

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