Max Verstappen's supposed victory in the second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series was subsequently revoked. A rule violation regarding tire management led to his disqualification.
In the second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), the initially victorious team around Max Verstappen was disqualified after the race. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number 3 had initially won the Barbarossa Prize on the Nordschleife on the track, but lost the victory afterwards due to a decision by the race stewards.
The reason for the disqualification is a clear violation of the series' technical regulations. According to the official standings, the team exceeded the maximum permitted number of tire sets. While only six sets of slick tires are allowed during the race, a total of seven sets were used on the vehicle.
The rule is clearly formulated in the NLS and leaves no room for interpretation: exceeding the tire limit automatically leads to disqualification. The background of this regulation is to ensure equal opportunities and to limit strategic advantages through the use of additional material.
The team confirmed the error after the race, citing an internal misunderstanding in tire management. A milder penalty like a time penalty is not provided for in such cases, which is why the vehicle was completely disqualified.
Due to the disqualification, the second-placed ROWE Racing team, with their BMW M4 GT3, moves up and takes the official race victory. This means that despite a strong sporting performance, Verstappen and his teammates will not have any result in the standings.