Max Verstappen frustrated as hopes of win on 24-hour race debut ended by mechanical issue

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NÜRBURG, Germany (AP) — Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen led in a “frustrating” 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track before his hopes were ended by a mechanical issue with his car Sunday.

Verstappen had been leading in the morning by over half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with experienced sportscar racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.

With three and a half hours left, Juncadella had just taken over from Verstappen when he had to slow down with a damaged driveshaft and lost the lead before entering the pits, where the car was pulled into the garage.

Victory went to the team's sister Mercedes car driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin.

About three hours after his incident, Juncadella was able to get back on track and ensure the team was counted as a finisher in 38th.

“Very unfortunate and frustrating ending, but these things can happen,” Verstappen posted on Instagram, adding he “still really enjoyed the experience.”

Coming a week before F1 returns at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Nürburgring race was a “bucket list” project for Verstappen. He's a keen racing fan and has questioned his future in F1 this year because he's unhappy with the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power.

Verstappen made an immediate impact in his first stint Saturday evening with a fast, aggressive style typical of his driving in F1, going from 10th to the lead with a series of overtakes. At one point, he lost grip over a bump and ran wide onto the grass, narrowly missing the barrier and he was later in a close battle for the lead overnight.

Speaking shortly before the incident that dashed his hopes of a win, Verstappen said he enjoyed his longest race yet and hoped to be back again in 2027.

“I think in general it’s just the competition, the endurance style racing where you share with teammates. The 24-hour race here, the track is super challenging, so it’s a whole combo,” he said.

As for next year, “I will for sure try. It always depends a bit on my schedule, but let’s first enjoy now.”

Verstappen was familiar with the Nürburgring after taking part in a series of shorter races in recent months to add to his years of virtual experience from realistic online simulator races.

It was still a challenge unlike anything in F1.

With 161 cars entered — 159 took the start — on a 15.8-mile (25.3-kilometer) circuit, Verstappen had to weave past much slower cars and narrowly escaped a crash when two slower Porsches collided in front of him. He also had to deal with constantly changing weather conditions on a hilly track where it can be raining hard at one point and dry at another.

It was also his first real test of night-time endurance racing without the huge floodlights that F1 uses to light up the track.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing