The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours delivered drama till the very end. Max Verstappen’s #3 Mercedes-AMG led comfortably but retired with a driveshaft failure in hour 21. Sister car #80 took a stunning win.
A Race That Had Everything – Drama, Rain, and a Cruel Twist at the ‘Ring
The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in recent memory. Heartbreak struck the leading #3 Mercedes-AMG team just three hours from the finish line, gifting victory to their sister car, the #80.
From the very first lap, the race refused to be calm. Incidents, rain, retirements, and one famous name behind the wheel kept fans glued throughout the entire 24 hours.
Chaos Breaks Out on the Very First Lap of the Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026
The race barely got going before the drama started. The ROWE BMW #99 of Dan Harper spun on the GP circuit after early contact. Meanwhile, the #84 Lamborghini of Mirko Bortolotti never even reached the Nordschleife on lap one. Contact with the #3 Mercedes-AMG of Daniel Juncadella forced Bortolotti into the pits for a right-rear tyre change.
Furthermore, the #130 entry received an early penalty for jumping the start. Additionally, the Manthey Porsche #911 of Kévin Estre and the #3 Mercedes traded aggressive moves at the front. Estre also tangled with the #7 Aston Martin before overtaking it after contact between the two.
Max Verstappen Steps In – and Immediately Grabs Every Eye
At the end of hour one, Daniel Juncadella handed over the #3 Mercedes to Max Verstappen. Immediately, the Dutch Formula 1 champion became the talk of the entire paddock.
Verstappen attacked traffic with real aggression. He regularly flashed his headlights to move slower cars aside. At one terrifying moment, he briefly became airborne after hitting a kerb. Despite fears of floor damage, the #3 Mercedes stayed in the fight and kept moving forward.
Meanwhile, Thomas Preining took over the #911 Porsche from Estre, as the top contenders started managing their race carefully.
5 Key Highlights from the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours
1. Max Verstappen went airborne during his first stint but kept the car in one piece.
2. The leading #3 Mercedes-AMG retired in the 21st hour with a driveshaft failure.
3. The #84 Lamborghini of Bortolotti recovered from a lap-one delay to finish second overall.
4. Rain reshuffled the order mid-race, briefly handing the lead to the #67 Ford with Dennis Olsen driving.
5. Only seven cars remained on the lead lap by the eighth hour, showing how brutal the race was.
Accidents Mount as Rain Arrives – the Race Order Gets Reshuffled
The opening hours also brought a wave of heavy accidents. The #75 Audi crashed hard, triggering a Code 60. In hour three, the #45 Ferrari of Thierry Vermeulen suffered a big accident. Shortly after, Alexander Sims binned the #16 Audi into a slower car, causing severe front-end damage. Sims limped back to the pits with the bonnet raised before the team retired the entry entirely.
By hour four, the #3 Mercedes had moved into the overall lead. However, rain arrived around the Adenau section of the circuit and immediately changed everything. The Manthey Porsche #911 crashed into the barriers and returned to the pits after an oil spill. The #64 Ford of Arjun Maini also crashed, causing yet another slippery oil spill on track.
Consequently, the changing weather forced teams to rethink their tyre strategies on the fly. The #67 Ford briefly led with Dennis Olsen at the wheel, as the rain reshuffled the top order. The #3 Mercedes, however, cycled through Verstappen, Jules Gounon, and later Lucas Auer, keeping its pace strong.
Sister Car Steps Up – the #80 Mercedes-AMG Keeps the Pressure On
Through the evening and overnight hours, several Code 60 periods slowed the race. Nevertheless, the #3 Mercedes maintained control at the front. The sister #80 Mercedes-AMG, with Fabian Schiller, Luca Stolz, and Maro Engel, consistently ran in second place and kept applying quiet pressure.
One unusually entertaining moment came in hour six. The #81 BMW M3 Touring overtook both Winward Mercedes-AMGs in the wet. Elsewhere, the #17 Menzel entry crashed, the #33 Audi spun, and the defending champion BMW #1 eventually retired from the race.
By hour eight, attrition had reduced the lead-lap cars to just seven. The overnight phase remained comparatively stable at the front. The #3 Mercedes appeared completely in control and seemed destined for victory heading into Sunday afternoon.
Disaster for the Leaders – #3 Mercedes-AMG Retires in the 21st Hour
Then came the moment that shocked the entire paddock. While comfortably leading the Nürburgring 24 Hours 2026, the #3 Mercedes-AMG suddenly slowed on track. The car crawled back to the pits with what initially appeared to be a rear-right corner issue. Eventually, the team pushed it into the garage. The race lead was gone.
After the race, Daniel Juncadella explained exactly what happened. “I went out of the pits, everything felt normal, and then after like half or one third of the lap, I saw an ABS failure message popping on and off,” he said. Despite the ABS loss, Juncadella continued driving. Then came an ominous mechanical noise.
“So I drove slowly back to the pits, and we encountered an issue in the driveshaft, which then created some extra collateral damage in the rest of the car,” Juncadella added. That confirmation ended all hope for the #3 crew.
#80 Mercedes-AMG Inherits the Lead and Drives to a Composed Victory
With the #3 car out of contention, the #80 Mercedes-AMG took over at the front. The crew of Schiller, Stolz, and Engel controlled the final hours without any significant challenge from behind.
In the closing stages, Stolz handed the car back to Maro Engel for the final run to the chequered flag. Engel brought the #80 Mercedes-AMG home to secure overall victory at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Behind them, an unlikely hero emerged. The #84 Lamborghini of Mirko Bortolotti – the same car that had pitted on the very first lap for a tyre change – came back strongly to finish second overall. That recovery drive alone was one of the stories of the race.
Finally, the #34 Aston Martin driven by Mattia Drudi completed the podium in third place, giving the British brand a solid result on a wild weekend.
Final Word – a Race the Nürburgring Will Not Forget in a Hurry
The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours had everything a motorsport fan could ask for. Verstappen going airborne, rain reshuffling the order, attrition wiping out the competition, and a cruel mechanical failure denying a dominant car its rightful victory – this race wrote its own story.
In the end, the #80 Mercedes-AMG stood tallest. However, the team in the #3 garage will replay that ABS warning message for a long time to come.
