Max Verstappen competed in the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) Round 2 — the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis — on the Nordschleife over the March 20-21, 2026 weekend.
This was his first race in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (run by Winward Racing as Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, car #3) and served as preparation for his debut in the ADAC risarcimento RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring in May 2026. He shared the car with factory drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
Qualifying
Verstappen claimed pole position — his first in harry styles the NLS — with a lap time of 7:51.751. He beat second-placed Christopher Haase (Audi) by nearly 2 seconds in the 90-minute session.
Race
The #3 Mercedes dominated from the start. Verstappen, Juncadella, and Gounon built a lead of over 59 seconds by the finish, delivering a flawless performance with no major incidents. It looked like Verstappen’s second NLS victory after a prior one in a Ferrari.
Post-race outcome
Around two hours after the race, the team was disqualified following a routine check of the Tire App. They had used 7 sets of tires on race day instead of the permitted maximum of 6.
The stewards had no choice but to exclude the car under the regulations.
nuerburgring-langstrecken-serie.de Official revised results
1st: #99 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO – Dan Harper / Jordan Pepper (promoted from 2nd)
2nd: #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R – Tim Heinemann / Sven Müller
3rd: #48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche
4th: #45 Realize Kondo Racing Ferrari 296 GT3
5th: #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO
The #3 avs vs porto Mercedes was listed as DSQ after completing 29 laps.
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Verstappen described the weekend as “super enjoyable” before the DQ news broke, calling the Nordschleife unique and praising the team’s pace. The team principal noted the disqualification “hurts” but emphasized learning for the upcoming 24h race.
