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# Verstappen's Nurburgring win bid dashed with hours left
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/gt/nurburgring-24-hours-team-verstappen-problem-victory-chances/
- Published: 2026-05-17T10:00:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-17T12:02:44.000Z
- Description: Team Verstappen’s chances of winning the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours suffered a terminal blow as Dani Juncadella suddenly slowed on track
- Author: Josh Suttill
- Tags: GT, #image-bottom-center, Formula 1, #max-verstappen

Team Verstappen’s chances of winning the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours suffered a terminal blow as Dani Juncadella suddenly slowed on track. 

The Team Verstappen #3 car had looked on course for victory, leading a Winward Racing 1-2 with fewer than four hours on the clock.

- [**Our verdict on Verstappen's late heartbreak**](https://www.the-race.com/gt/our-verdict-on-verstappens-nurburgring-heartbreak/)

But with Max Verstappen having handed the car to Dani Juncadella, a driveshaft problem struck on Juncadella’s third lap that caused him to slow.

The sister #80 car - with Maro Engel at the wheel - seized the lead as Juncadella limped back to the pits.

The #3 Mercedes was then wheeled into the garage, with inspection of its rear-right taking place. After 15 minutes, a visibly distraught Juncadella left the garage. A driveshaft issue was ultimately confirmed as the culprit.

Grounded in the garage, the Team Verstappen car has fallen to ninth in the classification.

The #80 Mercedes now has a chance to still ensure Mercedes ends a 10-year wait for a Nurburgring 24 Hours victory.