The four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen’s chances of victory in his 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track have been ended by an apparent mechanical problem with his car.

Verstappen had been leading in Germany on Sunday morning by more than half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with the experienced sportscar racers Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella. Juncadella had just taken over from Verstappen when he had to slow down with a problem affecting the rear-right of the car and lost the lead before pulling into the pit lane. The car had not returned from the garage after an hour.

Coming a week before F1 returns at the Canadian Grand Prix, the Nürburgring race was a bucket list project for Verstappen. He is a keen racing fan and has questioned his future in F1 this year because he is unhappy with the 2026 cars’ reliance on electrical power. F1 has agreed to make engine changes for the 2027 season after the widespread criticism from drivers.

Verstappen made an immediate impact in his first stint on Saturday evening with a fast, aggressive style typical of his driving in F1, going from 10th to the lead with a series of overtakes. At one point, he lost grip over a bump and ran wide on to the grass, narrowly missing the barrier, and he was later in a close battle for the overnight lead.

Verstappen was familiar with the Nürburgring after taking part in a series of shorter races in recent months to add to his years of virtual experience from online simulator races. It was still a challenge unlike anything in F1.

With 161 cars spread out along a 15.8-mile circuit, Verstappen had to weave past much slower cars and deal with constantly changing weather conditions on a hilly track where it can be raining hard at one point and dry at another.

It was also his first real test of night-time endurance racing without the huge floodlights that F1 uses to light up the track.