Max Verstappen and Mercedes disqualified from NLS win

Max Verstappen and his Mercedes-AMG team have been stripped of their victory in the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS2) due to a tyre infringement.

Verstappen, along with team-mates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, entered the four-hour race at the Nurburgring Nordschleife on Saturday afternoon.

Driving the #3 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 car, they eased to victory by 59 seconds ahead of their nearest challengers, Rowe BMW.

Verstappen put the car on pole position by 1.9 seconds on Friday, and drove the first and final stints.

He was involved in several battles for the lead throughout his stints, including with two-time Nurburgring 24 Hours winner Christopher Haase.

Read more: GT3 driver's reaction speaks volumes as Max Verstappen overtakes him in Mercedes

The four-time Formula 1 champion drove the #3 for the final 45 minutes and took the chequered flag.

But hours after celebrating what was Verstappen's maiden GT3 victory, the #3 team have been formally disqualified over a tyre infringement.

During post-race scrutineering, it was found that the Winward Racing team had inadvertently used seven sets of tyres during the race, therefore breaching the strict limit of six sets.

Team principal Christian Hohenadel confirmed the disqualification, explaining (via Autosport): "Unfortunately, we made an internal error that left the stewards with no choice but to exclude the winning car.

"It was our first outing as a full Mercedes-AMG Performance Team on the Nordschleife, and I want to apologise to all the fans who were cheering us on.

"We'll analyse every single process today, learn from it, and come back even stronger for the 24 Hours."

Verstappen plans to race NLS again

In his post-victory interview, which was broadcast on the official NLS live stream, Verstappen stated that he is hoping to race in the NLS again this season - if his Formula 1 calendar allows.

He said: "I've been watching this for a very long time, and it's one of these races that you just want to compete in.

"This year, I finally have the chance to do it. It depends on the calendar and what it allows.

"I'll try to do as much as I can. We're looking into it. We'll see if it's feasible. I'm always looking to race here."

The next NLS race is scheduled for April 11, which is now a free date in Verstappen's calendar after the Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled.

Qualifiers for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, a race which the Dutchman has expressed interest in entering, take place on April 19 - which is also now free after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was cancelled.