Max Verstappen's bid for victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours has been dealt a crushing blow after the #3 Mercedes was forced into the pits with a technical failure.
The car, which had been running strongly towards the front of the field, suddenly developed a problem with the right rear corner that brought Dani Juncadella into the pits unscheduled.
Winward Racing team principal Steve Buschmann confirmed the setback was purely mechanical, ruling out any contact or crash damage as the cause.
"We unfortunately have a technical problem," Buschmann told race organisers. "Right rear corner, no crash or contact, but really something technical. Frustrating. The car is now in the garage, they're going to repair everything and then we'll get back out on track as quickly as possible."
The team's mechanics immediately set to work diagnosing and fixing the issue, with hopes of getting the car back into the race despite the significant time loss.
Meanwhile, Buschmann moved to reassure that the sister #80 car remains unaffected by the technical gremlins and can continue to challenge for the lead.
"We're not assuming at this moment that it concerns both cars, but that it's specific to this car," he explained. "In other words, it's not the case that this damage could just as easily occur directly on the other car."
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