Winward Racing, the Mercedes customer outfit operating Max Verstappen\u2019s Team Verstappen, says it \u201churts\u201d after the Red Bull F1 driver was disqualified at the Nurburgring on Saturday.<\/p>\n
After making a number of appearances at the Nurburgring last year, Verstappen returned to the Nordschleife on Saturday in a break between races in the F1 calendar.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen hit with Nurburgring DSQ after victory on Mercedes debut<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The four-time F1 world champion, along with teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, dominated proceedings at the German venue.<\/p>\n Having set pole position by 1.9 seconds, Verstappen\u2019s entry went on to win the four-hour race by 59 seconds.<\/p>\n However, the trio were disqualified in the hours after the race<\/a> due to a tyre infringement.<\/p>\n Max Verstappen vs Isack Hadjar: Red Bull Racing head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season<\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates<\/a><\/p>\n It emerged that Verstappen\u2019s crew had used seven sets of tyres over the course of the day instead of the permitted six, with the error occurring during qualifying.<\/p>\n Christian Hohenadel, the team principal of Winward Racing, which runs Verstappen\u2019s entry under the banner of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, issued a short statement after the exclusion was confirmed.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe disqualification hurts.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, a mistake was made within the team that forced race control to retroactively disqualify the winning car.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, this was our first outing as a Mercedes-AMG Performance team on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to apologise to everyone who was rooting for us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will now thoroughly analyse the day, meticulously prepare for the remaining races, and work toward the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring with full concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n Hohenadel\u2019s comments come after Stefan Wendl, the head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing, said: \u201cA mixed start to the 2026 Nurburgring season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe crossed the finish line first but were subsequently disqualified.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring routine checks by the technical commission, it was found that the team used seven sets of tyres on race day, instead of the permitted six.<\/p>\n \u201cThe error occurred during qualifying, when multiple driver and tyre changes were practiced.<\/p>\n \u201cAn NLS weekend we won\u2019t forget anytime soon: Great racing, incredible atmosphere and, initially, the joy of victory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe disappointment is all the greater as a behind-the-scenes mistake led to disqualification, which hurts.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the Nordschleife, everything must come together.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, we focus on analysing, learning, and preparing for the upcoming races and the 24-hour highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n Verstappen, who is yet to officially comment on the matter, was among 178,000 accounts to \u2018like\u2019 the statement on Instagram.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old\u2019s disqualification comes as he prepares to participate in the Nurburgring 24 hours at the same venue in May.<\/p>\n The endurance classic will fall between the Miami and Canadian grands prix on the weekend of May 14-17.<\/p>\n Speaking after Saturday\u2019s race at the Nordschleife, Verstappen did not rule out further appearances at the Nurburgring next month<\/a> after the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix created a five-week gap in the F1 schedule.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n