Max Verstappen misses out on Nurburgring win as Timo Glock loses licence
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen was denied victory on his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut due to a late mechanical failure, on a weekend that also saw former F1 driver Timo Glock stripped of his racing licence.
The Dutch driver had helped steer his Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the race lead alongside team-mates Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
However, their hopes of securing a famous endurance win were dashed with just a few hours remaining.
Late heartbreak for Verstappen Racing
Juncadella was forced into the pit lane from the lead shortly after taking over driving duties from the three-time F1 champion.
A puncture combined with an anti-lock braking system issue ultimately revealed a terminal driveshaft failure.
The lengthy repair period meant the squad were only able to return to the track for the final lap of the iconic German circuit.
“Very unfortunate and frustrating ending, but these things can happen,” stated Verstappen.
“I still really enjoyed the experience together with Jules, Luggi and Dani.”
The Red Bull star will now refocus on his championship commitments ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, though he refused to rule out a future return to the endurance event.
Glock disqualified from endurance classic
Elsewhere on the grid, former Jordan and Toyota racer Timo Glock endured a disastrous weekend after having his Nordschleife permit revoked.
The German driver was steering Dorr Motorsport’s McLaren 720S when he was penalised for speeding through an incident zone.
Those slow areas signal a track blockage where recovery vehicles and marshals could be present.
The veteran racer was handed two penalty points for the dangerous infringement.
Having previously received identical punishment for a pit-lane timing breach, the accumulated points triggered an automatic suspension.
“Immediate disqualification of the driver T. Glock for this event and a general withdrawal of the DPN license,” confirmed the official stewards’ report.
His team were subsequently handed an 82-second time penalty but were permitted to continue the race without him.