From triumph to disappointment in just a few hours. The victory secured at the Nurburgring by the trio of Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, and Jules Gounon was annulled after the race, delivering a heavy blow to the Winward Racing team.
After celebrating on the podium, the squad received the official notice of disqualification: the team had exceeded the allowed number of tire sets during the race. This regulatory violation left race control with no alternative. The team itself described the mistake as a “rookie error,” occurring at a crucial moment of the race weekend.
“This NLS weekend will remain in our memories for a long time: we experienced clean races and an extraordinary atmosphere. Initially, we were thrilled by what we thought was a victory,” explained Wendl. “The disappointment was even greater when we realized we had made a behind-the-scenes mistake already in the morning. This forced the organizers to disqualify the winning car.”
Mercedes responds to Verstappen’s Nurburgring disqualification
The race also represented an important debut: the first outing for Winward Racing with the Performance Mercedes-AMG line-up on the Nordschleife. A highly complex environment, where every detail can make the difference. “It hurts, everyone is very disappointed. Once again, it shows that at the Nürburgring, you only win when everything goes perfectly.” This clear message highlights just how narrow the margin is between success and error on one of the most challenging circuits in the world.
Team principal Christian Hohenadel also commented on the incident, openly admitting it was an internal mistake that led to the disqualification.
“It was an extremely hard blow. An internal error led race control to exclude the winning car. We apologize to everyone who supported us.”
The team has already announced a full review to understand in detail what went wrong.
Despite the disappointment, Winward Racing is looking forward. The focus is already on the next preparatory races, and especially on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, a key event of the season.
“Now we need to analyze the errors, but also take with us the positive aspects of the weekend and focus on the upcoming races.”
A bitter lesson, but one that could prove fundamental in preventing future missteps at one of the most demanding events in world motorsport.
The 2026 NLS season has provided a harsh but necessary lesson for the Mercedes-AMG squad. While the pace of Verstappen and his teammates was undisputed, the administrative error serves as a stark reminder that endurance racing is won as much in the pit office as it is on the track. This bitter experience could prove fundamental in avoiding similar pitfalls during the 24-hour marathon later this year.
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