What should have been a dream weekend for Max Verstappen and the other drivers of Verstappen Racing ended in a nightmare. After more than twenty hours of racing in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the team was on course to claim the overall victory, but a technical mishap during Daniel Juncadella’s stint spoiled the plans. The Spaniard confirmed that he will briefly take action this afternoon to bring the car over the finish line.
Read more Drama at the Nürburgring! Team Verstappen faces problems, overall victory out of reach
“When I left the pit lane, there was nothing wrong,” a disappointed Juncadella told the media, including Formule1.nl. “Only during the lap did I get an ABS warning, after which I felt I was driving completely without ABS. That was still manageable; I could adjust the brake balance a bit. Only after that did I notice the car really became uncontrollable. It felt like something was going to break. Then I drove back to the pit lane.” There it turned out to be a problem with the driveshaft, which effectively ended the chances of a good final classification.
Victory Laps
Juncadella assured that the problem had nothing to do with the duels Verstappen fought with Maro Engel during the night. “The car has now been repaired,” he explained. “But I will only drive the last two laps to check if everything works properly and to get the finish flag. It is heartbreaking,” he sighed. “We really had a great race, a perfect race. I have dreamed for so long of winning this race, so yes, this definitely hurts today.”
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“At the same time, we are all racing drivers and know that our sport can sometimes be tough,” he added. “In the end, that’s how racing works: there are many factors you simply cannot control. It can hurt one day, but it doesn’t have to remain a big drama for long. We will come back next year,” promised the Spaniard. In the final minutes of the endurance classic, sister team RAVENOL in their #80 Mercedes is heading for victory.
That one hurts. 💔
Nevertheless, what a ride.
Thank you so much to everyone for the support this week. Has been truly special. pic.twitter.com/M02r4rb3yz
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— Dani Juncadella (@dani_juncadella) May 17, 2026
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