Nurburg: Max Verstappen and his Team Verstappen Racing squad were officially disqualified from their NLS2 victory at the Nürburgring Nordschleife on Saturday following a post-race technical inspection.

The disqualification, confirmed by the NLS technical commission, stems from a breach of the series' strict tyre allocation rules. Regulations for the event, the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis, limit each team to a maximum of six sets of tyres (24 individual tyres) for the entire race day, covering both qualifying and the four-hour race.

Scrutineering revealed that the #3 Winward Racing-run Mercedes-AMG GT3 had utilised seven sets of tyres—one more than the permitted limit. Winward Racing Team Principal Christian Hohenadel took full responsibility for the "internal mistake," explaining that the error occurred during the morning qualifying session when the team was practising multiple driver and tyre changeovers.

Inherited Victory

The decision strips Verstappen, along with teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, of what had been a dominant 59-second victory. The win has now been inherited by the #99 ROWE Racing BMW crew of Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper. The #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche of Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller has been promoted to second place.

"The disqualification hurts," Hohenadel said in an official statement. "Unfortunately, a mistake was made within our team, which forced race control to disqualify the winning car retrospectively. We will now analyse the day thoroughly and meticulously prepare for the upcoming races."

The "Six-Set" Regulation

Under the NLS technical regulations for the SP9 (GT3) class, teams are strictly limited to a maximum of six sets of slick tyres for the duration of the event, which encompasses both the 90-minute qualifying session and the four-hour endurance race. This rule is designed to contain costs and ensure a level playing field, preventing wealthier "factory" supported efforts from gaining an advantage through fresh rubber for every stint. All tyres must be registered via a barcode-scanning "Tyre App" prior to use, allowing officials to track real-time allocation and identify infringements immediately following the race.

Focus Shifts to 24 Hours

Despite the loss of the trophy, the team emphasised that the primary goal of the weekend—gathering data and building procedural muscle memory for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May—was successfully achieved. Verstappen's individual performance, including his blistering pole lap and commanding race stints, remained a major talking point among the Nordschleife paddock.

The four-time Formula 1 champion is expected to continue his GT3 preparation in upcoming NLS rounds, balancing the program with his F1 commitments as he travels to Suzuka for next week's Japanese Grand Prix.