Winward Mercedes inherits Nürburgring 24h victory

Winward Racing’s No. 80 Mercedes-AMG inherited victory in the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours after the leading No. 3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes suffered a late mechanical failure on May 17. Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz were listed as the winning drivers of the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol car in race coverage and official event reporting. The result gave Mercedes-AMG its first overall win in the race since 2016, according to the Nürburgring 24 Hours organizer and multiple race reports. Max Verstappen’s debut appearance in the event ended without the overall win after the sister car’s retirement. ### Which car actually won after the late twist? The No. 80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol entry was credited with the win after the No. 3 Verstappen Racing Mercedes dropped out of contention in the closing hours. The winning lineup was Engel, Martin, Schiller and Stolz, according to the organizer’s final report and race coverage. GT Report said second place went to the No. 84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Patric Niederhauser. (motorsport.com) The No. 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes and Nicki Thiim completed the podium, GT Report reported. ### What happened to the Verstappen Racing Mercedes? (24h-rennen.de) Max Verstappen handed the leading No. 3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car to Daniel Juncadella with less than four hours remaining and a lead of almost 49 seconds over Engel, GT Report reported. Not long after the change, the car developed problems and lost the lead. (gt-report.com) Juncadella slowed with what GT Report described as an ABS issue before the car went to the garage for repairs on the driveshaft. Motorsport.com also reported a late driveshaft failure for the Verstappen Racing entry, saying the problem handed victory to the sister Winward Mercedes. The organizer’s report said Verstappen had looked set for victory on his first 24-hour Nürburgring appearance until “just under three and a half hours” from the finish, when the driveshaft failure ended the run of the No. 3 car. (gt-report.com) ### Why is the Mercedes-AMG result notable? Mercedes-AMG’s victory was its first overall Nürburgring 24 Hours win since 2016, according to the official event report. (gt-report.com) The organizer described the result as the marque’s first win in a decade. Maro Engel was also part of Mercedes-AMG’s previous winning lineup in 2016, the organizer said. GT Report said the 2026 win was Engel’s second overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victory, while Martin, Schiller and Stolz each took their first overall win in the race. (24h-rennen.de) ### How did the race finish behind the winner? GT Report said the No. 84 Lamborghini kept second place despite an 86-second post-race penalty for speeding in a Code 60 zone earlier in the race. (24h-rennen.de) The report said the No. 34 Aston Martin lost time under a Code 60 in the final meters and fell to third. The Nürburgring 24 Hours results page lists a provisional race result PDF for the 2026 event, indicating the official classification was published after the race. (24h-rennen.de) The event was the 54th running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, according to the organizer’s reporting. ### Where can readers check the official classification next? The ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring results page hosts the 2026 provisional race result and class result documents for the event. (gt-report.com) The Nürburgring 24 Hours is also a round of the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge, and championship tables typically update after the race weekend. May 17 is the date attached to the organizer’s final report on the race, and that report identifies Engel, Martin, Schiller and Stolz as the overall winners for Winward’s No. 80 Mercedes-AMG. (24h-rennen.de) Readers looking for the next official update can follow the event results page and the Intercontinental GT Challenge standings after the Nürburgring round. (24h-rennen.de)