Max Verstappen took a break from a frustrating Formula One season by driving in a four-hour race at the Nuerburgring in Germany on Saturday where he won only to be disqualified.
The Dutch four-time Formula One champion has said he plans to race in the 24 Hours of Nuerburgring in May.
Competing in the GT3 class, Verstappen grabbed pole position on the full 24.358-kilometre configuration of the Nuerburgring by nearly two seconds.
Splitting time with co-drivers Frenchman Jules Gounon and Spaniard Daniel Juncadella at the wheel of a Mercedes sporting Red Bull livery and run by the Winward team, Verstappen helped steer his car to victory by almost exactly a minute before officials intervened.
Some of Max Verstappen's best overtakes during his NLS victory today 👏⚡️ pic.twitter.com/1feuM5CnJt
— Autosport (@autosport) March 21, 2026
The car was disqualified for using seven sets of tyres during the race. Only six are permitted.
"The disqualification is tough to take," Winward team principal Christian Hohenadel told Motorsport.com. "Unfortunately, we made an internal error that left the stewards with no choice but to exclude the winning car."
Verstappen was sixth in the F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8 before failing to finish in Shanghai last Sunday.
He returns to Asia for the Japan Grand Prix next Sunday.
#NLS - Official statement regarding the NLS2 disqualification.
— Mercedes-AMG Motorsport (@amgmotorsport) March 21, 2026
More info: https://t.co/YtZ0vWRjcd#AMG pic.twitter.com/1Vl6fyN9kT