- Free practice for Verstappen at Nürburgring cut short by suspected suspension problems.
- Disruption left Verstappen Racing with almost no setup data ahead of a four-hour race.
- Saturday is now the only chance for Verstappen to share track time with his co-drivers.
Max Verstappen’s Friday at the Nürburgring Nordschleife did not go as planned.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion was forced to switch to a back-up car during free practice for Saturday’s NLS2 race after suspected suspension problems cut short his afternoon session. The disruption left Verstappen Racing with little setup data and almost no track time ahead of a four-hour race on one of the world’s most demanding circuits.
Verstappen is racing the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Winward under the Verstappen Racing banner, sharing the car with GT3 specialists Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
A highly anticipated return to the Nordschleife
This weekend is not a casual outing for Verstappen. He has been building toward the Nürburgring 24 Hours, scheduled for May 14-17, and NLS2 is a key part of that preparation. He has also switched machinery, moving from Ferrari to Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Verstappen Racing now operating as a factory-supported Mercedes outfit.
The Dutchman did not arrive here without proper groundwork. Last year, he tested at the Nordschleife under the pseudonym “Franz Hermann.” He then raced a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS to earn his GT3 licence, before stepping up to the Ferrari 296 GT3, and winning immediately alongside Chris Lulham.
NLS2 brings a stiffer challenge. A total of 26 GT3 cars are competing in the SP9 class. Among them is the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol entry, crewed by Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin, two proven Nordschleife specialists.
Before the weekend, Verstappen was direct about his goals. “Friday is for testing, also for me to get up to speed with the car there,” he told Speedcafe. “Then it’s about gaining race experience and trying to put the car in the best possible window for the 24-hour race.”
That plan ran into trouble almost immediately.
Suspension trouble derails the session
What should have been a useful practice session began to slip away early. Verstappen’s first Nordschleife outing of 2026 was hit by technical trouble, with suspected suspension problems limiting the team’s running and changing the shape of the day.
Verstappen was spotted in detailed discussions with engineers from Bilstein after his afternoon stint. The car was then pushed back into the garage. Not long after, the team wheeled out a replacement: a blank, unnumbered Mercedes-AMG GT3 with no livery and no car number.
The backup machine said everything about how the afternoon had gone.
Setup work began mid-session on the replacement car, but time ran out quickly. Juncadella completed only around three laps before a red flag stopped the session shortly after 4 p.m. It was not resumed.
The timing could not have been worse. While Verstappen has completed test outings in the Mercedes before, NLS2 marks his first time driving it on the Nordschleife in a competitive setting. The switch to the backup car means the team heads into Saturday with almost no data to work from.
Friday’s problems also carry consequences beyond Saturday. NLS2 is the only round where Verstappen can officially share track time with Gounon and Juncadella in NLS competition. Both teammates are unavailable for NLS3 and the Qualifiers due to commitments in other series.
That makes Saturday’s race the team’s one real window to build cohesion before the 24 Hours.
Lucas Auer is part of the Verstappen Racing programme but will sit out NLS2.
Here is the NLS2 schedule:
| Date | Session | Time CET | Time UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | Qualifying | 08:30 | 07:30 |
| March 21 | Formation lap | 11:42 | 10:42 |
| March 21 | Race start | 12:00 | 11:00 |
| March 21 | Finish | 16:00 | 15:00 |
