Max Verstappen looked set for a commanding result during his latest outing at the Nürburgring before a front-end issue dramatically halted his momentum in the GT3 race.
Starting from fifth on the grid after an impressive qualifying effort by teammate Lucas Auer, Verstappen wasted no time moving forward. Within the opening laps, he climbed into fourth and quickly joined the fight at the front, where Dennis Marschall initially led in the Ferrari GT3 entry.
As the race unfolded, Verstappen steadily worked his way through the field. He first dispatched Thomas Preining before overtaking Marschall to move into second place. That left him chasing down Christopher Haase, who was leading in the Audi R8.
Verstappen applied relentless pressure, staying glued to Haase’s rear wing before finally making the decisive move for the lead just before the 30-minute mark. However, despite taking control of the race, he was unable to fully break away. A few minor errors allowed Haase to remain within striking distance, keeping the battle alive.
The Red Bull driver made his first pit stop around the 50-minute mark for fuel, briefly surrendering the lead. But once Haase pitted and handed over driving duties to Alexander Sims, Verstappen returned to the front of the field.
From there, he built a commanding advantage, stretching his lead to around 32 seconds and looking firmly in control of the race. However, the turning point came just over 90 minutes into the four-hour event.
Pitting for what appeared to be a routine driver change, Verstappen handed the car over to Auer—but instead of a smooth transition, the car was pushed into the garage. Mechanics began working on a problem with the front end, bringing an abrupt end to what had been a dominant performance up to that point.
The setback underlined how quickly fortunes can change in endurance-style GT racing, even for a driver of Verstappen’s calibre. What had been shaping up as a near-perfect stint ultimately turned into a frustrating interruption, denying the team the chance to convert their early race pace into a strong final result.
The race turned dramatically for Max Verstappen’s team during the driver change, when a serious issue was discovered on the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
As Lucas Auer prepared to take over, mechanics were forced to address a major problem at the front of the car—a large gap caused by a damaged splitter. The team later confirmed it as a front splitter defect, requiring extensive repairs in the garage.
What should have been a routine pit stop turned into a lengthy delay. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, before Auer was finally able to rejoin the race after 28 minutes. By that point, the car had dropped all the way down to 87th position, effectively ending any hopes of a competitive result.
Despite the setback, Auer mounted an impressive recovery drive around the demanding Nürburgring. He steadily climbed through the field—moving from 87th to 80th, then into the 70s and 50s—eventually reaching 49th with an hour remaining. Continuing to push, he improved to 45th with 15 minutes to go and ultimately crossed the line in 39th place.
Up front, victory went to the Audi R8 crew of Ben Green, Christopher Haase, and Alexander Sims, who secured the win by just over 28 seconds. Second place was taken by Patric Niederhauser, Luca Engstler, and Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini entry.
The race, however, was held under a somber cloud. Proceedings began with a minute’s silence in memory of Juha Miettinen, who tragically lost his life in a multi-car accident during Saturday’s earlier race.
Verstappen later shared his condolences on social media, acknowledging both the passion and the inherent risks of motorsport. He expressed sympathy for Miettinen’s family and loved ones, reflecting on the dangers that remain an ever-present part of racing at all levels.