Red Bull driver Max Verstappen says his recent disqualification at the Nürburgring was “a shame” following “a little mistake” during pit-stop practice.
Yet he is hopeful that the exclusion will “put the team on point” ahead of his upcoming Nürburgring 24 hours debut.
Max Verstappen: Nurburgring DSQ triggered by ‘little mistake’
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Verstappen confirmed last month that he will participate in the endurance classic at the Nürburgring across May 14-17, with the event falling in a break in the F1 calendar between the Miami and Canadian grands prix.
The Red Bull driver took part in a recent NLS race at the German venue, dominating alongside teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
However, the trio was later disqualified for using seven sets of tyres – one more than the permitted six – over the course of qualifying and the race combined.
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Following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix, Verstappen revealed last week that he will return to the Nürburgring on April 18-19 to take part in the 24-hour qualifiers.
The qualifiers, which will see Verstappen drive the Nordschleife at night for the first time, had originally been set to clash with F1’s trip to Saudi Arabia.
Reflecting on his last visit to the Nürburgring, Verstappen said it was “a shame” to be stripped of victory, but claimed that it might turn out to be a positive by sharpening the team’s processes ahead of the big race next month.
He said: “Overall, it was a great weekend.
“We had a really good time, together with my with my teammates also.
“Then, of course, we had a little mistake involved when we were practicing the pit stops, where they then added another set on the car when we were doing the other things.
“But besides that, of course in the race, it’s very straightforward where everyone just uses four new sets.
“A shame, of course, to lose it, but at the same time probably it puts the team on point. Maybe it needed that a little bit.
“But the overall working experience was really good, also within the team.
“The engineers know what they’re doing. They have been incredibly successful for a while in GT racing.
“So for me, overall, it’s been a really fun weekend.”
Verstappen has repeatedly threatened to walk away from F1 over recent months due to his unhappiness with the F1 2026 regulations, which he has branded “anti-racing.”
Asked if his return to the Nürburgring gave him a sense of satisfaction Formula 1 currently cannot, he replied: “It’s impossible to compare, but I wanted to do that for a while.
“It’s really something that I enjoy a lot. Every time I jumped out of the car I was smiling and I think that’s always a good thing.”
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