Max Verstappen slapped with grid penalty after switching to new racing series

Max Verstappen’s woes on the racetrack continued this weekend when he was slapped with a grid penalty at the 2026 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers. Verstappen has endured a torrid start to the Formula One season and has been a vocal critic of the new engine regulations that were introduced this year.

The Dutchman has expressed his dissatisfaction with Formula One of late, and insisted he was looking to fall back in love with motorcar racing. One of the routes he’s gone down is competing in different types of races, most notably the 24h Nurburgring in Germany.

Qualification for the GT endurance racing event was taking place this weekend, but Verstappen’s miserable 2026 continued when he, as well as team-mate Lucas Auer, were given a three-place grid penalty. They originally finished sixth, but following a stewards' investigation, they were bumped down to ninth.

Auer had collided with the Porsche Cayman #941 from Team Adrenalin during a failed overtake. He had attempted to go around the Team Adrenalin driver, but contact was made and the Cayman spun.

A statement from the stewards read: "The driver of car #941 stated that he stayed on the racing line and did not notice the approaching faster car #03.

"The driver of car #03 stated that he saw the gap and misjudged the situation. Furthermore, he directly apologised to #941 after his stint. The Stewards felt that a drop of 3 grid positions for the next race the car will participate is the appropriate penalty."

On his decision to enter the race mid-Formula One season: "It's one of the best races in the world, it's one of the best tracks. In a GT car, for me that's like the perfect speed around there. I think if you go anything faster it can be a bit dangerous in places.

"I've been watching a long time, a lot of my friends have been racing in it, they say it's one of the best things ever. I like racing other cars as well, so this was basically the first time I could do it. I'm very excited to see how we're going to perform. It's a very stacked line-up and field in general."

He continued: "It's just the way of working with people, it's a bit of a different environment that you're in, in the paddock. Probably a little bit more old-school which I probably enjoy a bit more. Can probably be a bit more myself. All the big endurance races I want to do, it's something that when I was a kid, my dad was doing them."