Max Verstappen Breaks Nürburgring NLS2 Viewership Records Despite Disqualification

You could put Max Verstappen behind the wheel of a motorized shopping cart, and millions of people would still tune in just to watch him find the apex of aisle four.

With the 2026 Formula 1 season off to a rocky start, thanks to canceled races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, plus Red Bull’s highly publicized struggles with the new regulations, the reigning world champion found himself with a rare, open weekend on his calendar.

Naturally, instead of taking a well-deserved vacation, Verstappen decided to spend his time taming the most dangerous race track on the planet.

Stepping into the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) for Round 2 of the season, Verstappen brought a level of global electricity to the German circuit that endurance racing hasn’t felt in years. But what started as a masterclass in driving quickly devolved into a bizarre, heartbreaking lesson in the unforgiving nature of motorsport rulebooks.

1. A Flawless Masterpiece on the Nordschleife

The stage was set at the legendary 20.8-kilometer Nordschleife. Driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Winward Racing alongside teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, Verstappen immediately let the paddock know he wasn’t there just to sign autographs. He laid down a blistering pole lap of 7m51.751s, a time that left veteran endurance drivers quietly shaking their heads in disbelief. When the green flag dropped, the Dutchman did exactly what he does best: he vanished. Taking both the opening and closing stints of the race, Verstappen put on an absolute clinic. Navigating the blind crests, heavy traffic, and terrifying high-speed corners of the Nurburgring, he dragged his Mercedes across the finish line a massive 59.5 seconds ahead of the competition. It was a total, unmitigated blowout. Until the stewards walked into the garage.

2. The Tire Blunder That Stunned the Paddock

You can build the fastest car in the world, recruit the greatest driver of a generation, and execute a flawless race strategy, but none of it matters if someone in the garage loses count. In a twist that feels more like a tragicomedy than professional motorsport, post-race inspections revealed that Winward Racing had used seven sets of tires throughout the event. The maximum allowed by the rulebook? Six. Just like that, the victory evaporated. The team was disqualified, handing the win to the ROWE Racing BMW crew of Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper. The emotional whiplash was brutal. Stefan Wendl, the head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, didn’t mince words about the blunder. “That hurts, and naturally, everyone involved is very disappointed,” he admitted. “It shows once again that you can only win on the Nordschleife if everything comes together.”

3. Shattering Viewership Records from the Cockpit

If you want to understand the sheer magnitude of Verstappen’s star power, forget the disqualification for a moment and look at the television data. Endurance racing is beautiful, but it is traditionally a niche sport. Yet, the moment Verstappen strapped into the car, the internet effectively broke. The English broadcast pulled in an unheard-of 1.1 million viewers. The German stream saw 896,000 fans log on. Most incredibly, an astonishing one million people bypassed the main broadcast entirely, choosing instead to watch a raw, unedited feed from Verstappen’s onboard camera. This stream normally averages around 30,000 viewers. He didn’t just boost the NLS’s visibility; he strapped a rocket ship to it. Drawing five times the audience of his endurance debut in 2025, Verstappen single-handedly introduced millions of Formula 1 fans to the gritty, grueling world of GT3 racing. For F1 fans panicking that their star driver might permanently jump ship to endurance racing amid his frustration with the 2026 regulations, you can breathe a sigh of relief. For now, anyway. This dramatic weekend was a high-speed training exercise. Verstappen has already confirmed he will be back with a vengeance for NLS3 in mid-April, using these shorter events to prepare for the crown jewel of the endurance calendar: the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May. The disqualification is a bitter pill to swallow, no doubt. But if there is one thing the racing world knows for certain, it’s that a motivated, slightly angry Verstappen is the most dangerous force in motorsport. The Nordschleife hasn’t seen the last of him, and next time, you can bet his team will be counting their tires twice.

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