Max Verstappen revealed a broken front splitter curtailed his chances of victory at Sunday\u2019s N\u00fcrburgring 24-Hour Qualifier event, alongside Lucas Auer.<\/p>\n
The #3 Verstappen Racing car moved from fifth to first with the Red Bull driver at the wheel in the first hour, and after the first round of stops, the Formula 1 four-time World Champion took himself into a significant lead \u2013 before a 28-minute stint in the pit lane.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen reveals splitter failure at N\u00fcrburgring<\/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 After pre-race respects were paid to Juha Miettinen, who passed away after a tragic accident at the circuit on Saturday, the action got underway at the N\u00fcrburgring.<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/a> moved through the field in the first part of Sunday\u2019s four-hour event to take the lead, before his car was wheeled into the garage after his second stop.<\/p>\n He had already planned to swap with Auer so his teammate could get more time behind the wheel, but the team quickly realised there was a front-end issue that required repairs.<\/p>\n His team posted an update confirming the car required \u201cextensive repairs\u201d before heading back out on track, with the #3 in the pit lane for 28 minutes before Auer re-emerged in 87th place.<\/p>\n Auer was able to make his way through the lower classes with the remaining time to finish 39th overall, but a race victory was on the cards for the duo.<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen and the N\u00fcrburgring<\/p>\n Verstappen dealt another N\u00fcrburgring blow in 24 Hour preparations<\/a><\/p>\n Max Verstappen offers condolences after Juha Miettinen dies in N\u00fcrburgring crash<\/a><\/p>\n Just after the chequered flag, the Red Bull driver confirmed the issue, though said he still enjoyed his time behind the wheel on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the second lap of my second stint, I realised something was wrong. The splitter had broken off,\u201d Verstappen said after the race.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s strange, because I didn\u2019t hit anyone, so I don\u2019t know how it happened. We\u2019ll have to investigate and sort it out.<\/p>\n \u201cI did have fun today. The car felt good, which I\u2019m happy about. I was able to complete my stints, even in traffic, which was quite intense.<\/p>\n \u201cI had battles with other GT3 cars, so in that respect it was good preparation for the 24-hour race. I\u2019m as ready for it as I can be. The only thing is that I haven\u2019t driven in the dark yet. I don\u2019t think you can do any more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n The N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours will take place on the weekend of 16-17 May, with Verstappen having confirmed ahead of the season he planned to take part in the blue riband GT event.<\/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