max-verstappen-maro-engel-nurburgring-24-hours-2026Maro Engel insists there is no lingering tension with Max Verstappen after the pair went wheel-to-wheel in a dramatic Nürburgring 24 Hours battle – despite a previous public spat over Verstappen’s controversial Nordschleife lap. The two Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries run by Winward Racing were in a battle for the victory at this year’s race at the ‘Green Hell’, even going wheel-to-wheel in the early hours of Sunday morning. Maro Engel reveals Max Verstappen truth after Nürburgring 24 Hours Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust Having been thwarted by the German, Verstappen eventually seized an opportunity down the Döttinger Straight only for Engel to fight back. He pulled alongside the Red Bull F1 driver on the approach to Tiergarten, but with two slower cars ahead, one of them had to give way. It was Engel, who ended up on the grass as Verstappen held firm in the middle of the track. The Dutchman built up a lead over his rival, with the #3 on course for the win before a late-race drift shaft problem put an end to their challenge. “It was a misunderstanding with the lapped traffic,” Engel said of their clash as per motorsport-magazin. “There was no damage, so we laughed about it afterwards. “It was incredibly fun. I was grinning in my helmet. I saw he was going full throttle, so I pushed hard too. “We talked afterwards about how much fun we both had. “We even had a rally-like moment when a lot of binding agent was being spread in the Hatzenbach section. Max was drifting in front of me and I was drifting behind him. That was really funny.” Their on-track clash came a year after Engel claimed that Verstappen’s reported lap record at the Nürburgring in a GT3 car during one of his incognito ‘Franz Hermann’ track days didn’t count. “To the topic of the moment,” wrote Engel on X last May. “Few facts to Franz Hermann GT3 Nordschleife Test: car was run in DTM spec BoP (less weight, more power, lower ride height than NLS BoP). Laptime: 7:48. “Still impressive for a first visit to the green hell. Would be cool to see Franz compete.” Verstappen responded at the time, “False. Don’t spread things when you don’t know how the car was set-up and our engine settings. Why would I join a NLS track day with the wrong BOP. Have a good one tomorrow.” Engel insists Saturday night’s clash was not a sign of lingering tension. “That’s most media and outsiders talking,” said the 40-year-old. “Max and I have an absolutely great relationship. “I hope that soon in Monaco we will get the opportunity to meet for a coffee or to go to the playground with the children. And then to talk a little bit about our duel here at night.” Go deeper: Max Verstappen crew denied Nürburgring 24 Hours win The #80 driven by Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin took the win by 46s ahead of the #84 Lamborghini of Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser. “He drove incredibly well,” said Engel. “He was unbelievably fast, no question. “It was a lot of fun working with him and seeing how he approached the race. “I feel incredibly sorry for the guys, they drove a fantastic race and absolutely deserved the win. “They had the race in their grasp.” Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists. You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
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