Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Monday, May 18, 2026
Winward Racing Ends Mercedes-AMG’s Ten-Year Nürburgring Drought
Winward Racing ended Mercedes-AMG’s ten-year wait for an overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victory on Sunday as the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin took the overall win at the Nordschleife. It was Mercedes-AMG’s first overall triumph at the event since 2016. The factory-backed team ran a measured, consistent race while the initially faster No. 3 car of Max Verstappen, which had dominated overnight, was eliminated by a driveshaft failure with three hours remaining. Red Bull Team ABT’s Lamborghini Huracán GT3 held second despite a time penalty, with Walkenhorst Motorsport’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 completing the podium in third.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Verstappen Seizes Nürburgring Lead with Wet-Weather Masterclass Before Driveshaft Failure Ends Campaign
Max Verstappen delivered one of the Nürburgring’s most memorable individual performances in years before heartbreak struck with less than three hours remaining. The Formula 1 champion charged from tenth place to the outright race lead during a wet overnight stint on the Nordschleife, dismissing rivals with a series of aggressive overtakes in difficult conditions. Verstappen’s No. 3 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 had pulled clear of the field by daybreak, but a catastrophic driveshaft failure brought the car into the garage with 21 hours elapsed. The car returned to the race after lengthy repairs but finished outside the top ten, leaving Verstappen without the victory his driving had deserved.
Sources: The Race
Manthey’s Iconic ‘Grello’ Porsche Exits Nürburgring 24 Hours After Brunnchen Oil Slick Crash
Manthey Racing’s iconic No. 911 Grello Porsche 911 GT3 R retired from the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours during the fifth hour after Kevin Estre was caught out by an oil slick in the Brunnchen section of the Nordschleife. Replay footage confirmed fluid was already present on the track before Estre’s incident, raising questions about marshalling response time. The famous German-green Porsche had been matching the pace of the leading Winward Mercedes pair, making its retirement a key turning point in the race. Manthey confirmed the rear damage was too severe to continue and hinted at a two-car challenge at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2027.
Sources: Motorsport.com
ABT Lamborghini Holds Second Despite 86-Second Penalty as Walkenhorst Aston Martin Drops on Final Lap
The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours ended with contentious regulatory drama as time penalties reshuffled podium positions in the closing hours. Red Bull Team ABT’s No. 84 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 of Mirko Bortolotti, Patric Niederhauser and Luca Engstler received an 86-second penalty for a Code 60 zone infringement during the race. Despite that punishment, ABT retained second place when the No. 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 was itself penalised for breaching a Code 60 slow zone on the final lap. Christian Krognes, Mattia Drudi, Nicki Thiim and Felipe Fernandez Laser had briefly held second before the last-lap violation dropped them to third.
Sources: Dive-Bomb
BMW M3 Touring Claims SP-X Class Win at Nürburgring, Finishing Fifth Overall Against GT3 Field
The No. 81 BMW M3 Touring secured victory in the SP-X experimental class at the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, earning fifth place overall against purpose-built GT3 competition. Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor de Phillippi and Neil Verhagen drove a disciplined, fault-free 24-hour run in the production-based four-door saloon across the 25-kilometre Nordschleife circuit. The SP-X class is reserved for experimental or modified vehicles that fall outside standard GT3 regulations, providing a distinct showcase for manufacturer innovation and engineering ambition. The class win underlines BMW’s exceptional depth across multiple racing categories in 2026, with the German manufacturer’s GT3 programme running strongly across European endurance events.
Sources: BMWBlog
Record 161-Car Grid Lines Up for 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours — Largest Field Since 2014
The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours attracted a record entry of 161 cars, the largest field to start the event since 2014, with organisers crediting Max Verstappen’s participation as a significant driver of the surge in applications. The Formula 1 champion’s debut at the Nordschleife with Winward Racing generated substantial international media attention and is believed to have encouraged additional entries from manufacturers and pro-am crews seeking elevated exposure. Trackside spectator numbers were reported among the highest the event has seen in recent years. ADAC organisers implemented expanded pit lane infrastructure and revised traffic management across the Eifel region to accommodate the record field and the accompanying influx of visitors.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Engstler Puts ABT Lamborghini on Nürburgring 24 Hours Pole; Verstappen Fourth on Record 161-Car Grid
Luca Engstler claimed pole position for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, putting the No. 84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 at the front of a record 161-car grid. Engstler’s benchmark lap in dry conditions underlined ABT’s strong pace heading into the race. Max Verstappen qualified fourth in the No. 3 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in his first qualifying appearance at the Nordschleife. Manthey Racing’s No. 911 Grello Porsche 911 GT3 R took third, while the sister No. 80 Winward Mercedes qualified second. The front-row lockout for ABT and Winward positioned the race as a battle between Lamborghini and Mercedes from the opening lap.
Sources: Speedcafe
Overnight Rain Transforms Nürburgring Race Strategy, Delivers Decisive Edge to Winward Mercedes
Rain arriving at the Nürburgring shortly after midnight transformed the 2026 24-hour race from a controlled, dry event into an unpredictable contest across the 25-kilometre circuit. Multiple GT3 cars understeered into barriers during the first wet hours on the fast sections of the track, triggering safety car periods that compressed the field. Winward Racing navigated the disruption with an effective overnight strategy, making correct tyre calls when rivals either crashed or stayed out too long on worn intermediates. The wet conditions opened the race to Max Verstappen’s particular talent, allowing him to charge from tenth to the outright lead before a mechanical failure ended his challenge in the 21st hour.
Sources: Motorsport.com
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. René Rast / Robin Frijns / Sheldon van der Linde (BMW #20) — Leading
2. Kamui Kobayashi / Mike Conway / Nyck de Vries (Toyota #7) — 25 pts
3. Kevin Magnussen / Raffaele Marciello (BMW #15) — 5th
Full standings: fiawec.com
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. BMW — 59 pts
2. Toyota — 52 pts
3. Ferrari — 42 pts
4. Aston Martin — 14 pts
5. Alpine — 14 pts
6. Peugeot — 9 pts
7. Cadillac — 8 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Laurin Heinrich (JDC-Miller #5 Porsche) — Leading
2. Jack Aitken (Cadillac Whelen #31) — 2nd
Full standings: imsa.com
IMSA GTP — Teams
Full standings: imsa.com/weathertech/standings/
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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