Kevin Estre knows better than most that the N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours can be brutally cruel \u2014 and after Max Verstappen\u2019s heartbreak, he says the Green Hell simply \u201cpicks its winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
From victory in 2021 to retirements and disqualifications, French racer Estre knows all too well how painfully the Green Hell can bite.<\/p>\n
Max Verstappen told: N\u00fcrburgring picks its winner<\/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 And that\u2019s exactly what it did to Verstappen on Sunday morning as the race entered its final four hours.<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/a> had impressed on his first appearance in the endurance classic as he shared a Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with Jules Gounon, Lucas Auer and Daniel Juncadella, taking the lead with a double overtake in his opening stint.<\/p>\n In the early hours of the morning in darkness, he battled fellow Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry Maro Engel for the lead. He passed Engel down the D\u00f6ttinger Straight and then held off the German\u2019s fightback<\/a> into Tiergarten before pulling clear.<\/p>\n The Verstappen Racing quartet held a handsome lead with four hours left on the clock before disaster struck and ended the #3 car\u2019s victory hopes.<\/p>\n Juncadella was behind the wheel at the beginning of the final four hours when a driveshaft problem sent him back into the pits.<\/p>\n The #3 was effectively out of the race.<\/p>\n Although the team repaired the car so that it could cross the finish line, it did so in 38th place.<\/p>\n Estre says that\u2019s the story of the N\u00fcrburgring, it decides who will win.<\/p>\n \u201cBig respect as well for car #3. Sorry for them, they had a great race and Max proved for sure that he\u2019s an amazing driver and can adapt quickly to very tough conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d he continued, \u201cthe N\u00fcrburgring also picks its winner.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tough one as we know.\u201d<\/p>\n Go deeper: Max Verstappen crew denied N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours win<\/p>\n N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours: Max Verstappen heartbreak as Mercedes problem loses win<\/a><\/p>\n N\u00fcrburgring 24 Hours results: Final race classification<\/a><\/p>\n Estre also experienced yet more disappointment with his Porsche 911 GT3 R, entered by Manthey Racing along with Matt Campbell, Thomas Preining and Ayhancan Guven, failing to finish after an early crash.<\/p>\n The incident occurred shortly before the third round of pit stops with Estre losing control after hitting oil on the circuit while driving through the Br\u00fcnnchen section.<\/p>\n The car went spinning backwards into the barrier, causing severe damage to the rear and engine area.<\/p>\n Although Estre escaped without injury, the impact forced Manthey to retire the car immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, our race ended very early,\u201d said Estre.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in my second stint, on the second lap, in Br\u00fcnnchen. I had just overtaken another car when I suddenly lost the rear due to oil on the track.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no flags and no car ahead to warn me. I hit the barrier and the rear of the car was heavily damaged.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very sorry for the entire team \u2013 they did a fantastic job all week, as always, so this is a tough situation to accept. But that\u2019s motorsport, and especially at the N\u00fcrburgring, anything can happen.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to all the fans for the amazing support \u2013 I couldn\u2019t be more grateful and was really happy to see so many people trackside.\u201d<\/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