It was a tricky afternoon for Max Verstappen in practice for his highly anticipated NLS appearance in a Red Bull-backed Mercedes.
Free practice for NLS2 marked the first outing of 2026 for Max Verstappen at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, who shares the car with Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.
The session was disrupted early by technical issues, with suspected suspension problems limiting running.
Verstappen was observed in detailed discussions with engineers from Bilstein following his afternoon stint, before the car was pushed back into the garage for further inspection.
In response, the team switched to a newly prepared car, with no livery or the correct car number – a different Mercedes-AMG GT3 chassis.
Setup work began mid-session, but track time remained extremely limited. Juncadella completed only a handful of laps, approximately three, before the session was red-flagged shortly after 16:00 and not resumed.
The disruption creates a challenging situation for the #3 crew ahead of race day. With minimal data gathered, the team faces an intensive overnight effort involving setup work and additional scrutineering, which could compromise Verstappen’s starting position and overall preparation.
This weekend is particularly critical for driver coordination. It represents the only opportunity for Verstappen to officially share track time with Gounon and Juncadella in NLS competition, as both teammates are unavailable for NLS3 and the Qualifiers due to commitments in other series.
Verstappen had previously indicated interest in contesting additional rounds should Middle Eastern Formula 1 events be canceled, a scenario that has since materialized; however, his teammates’ scheduling conflicts remain a limiting factor.
Overall, a heavily interrupted practice session has left significant uncertainty heading into race day, with both technical reliability and team preparation still unresolved.
Race start: 11:00am GMT / 12:00pm CET
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