ROWE Racing Wins the NLS 2 after Verstappen Racing was Disqualified

The Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie, or NLS for short, returned for its second round of the 2026 season last weekend. The 58th ADAC barbarossapreis featured some drama both on track and off track but to be specific in the post-race inspection office. The team from Verstappen.com crossed the finish line first, but because of a technical error that was made during the weekend, they got disqualified.

(Image credit to Racesquare Zandvoort)

The event technically is the first real race of the season, because the NLS 1 was cancelled as a result of snow, but in addition to that, this race also had a lot of eyes on Max Verstappen. He joined alongside Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella in the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to take to the track. The team secured pole position with an impressive lap time of 7:51.751, meaning they would lead the pack at the beginning of the race.

The race began straight away with a battle for the lead. Christopher Haase in the #16 Schere Sport PHX Audi challenged Verstappen immediately. Haase used the slipstream to take the lead during the opening lap, but the Mercedes regained the lead position before the first round of pit stops. During the middle stints, Juncadella and Gounon built a significant gap in front of the rest in the field.

The #99 ROWE Racing BMW, driven by Dan Harper and Jordan Pepper, was said to be the primary challenger for Verstappen Racing. Although Harper had the lead during the pit cycle, he got a penalty for a collision early in the race. Verstappen got back into the car for the final stint and crossed the finish line with an impressive 59-second lead over second place. This appeared to be a great debut victory for Verstappen Racing.

But the results were changed two hours after the podium ceremony. Technical stewards found out that the #3 Mercedes-AMG used seven tyres during the course of the event, but the regulations strictly permitted only six sets. This breach led to the immediate disqualification of car number #3. So the #99 ROWE Racing BMW took the overall victory.

The final podium looked like this 

1: #99 ROWE Racing BMW

2: #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R

3: #48 BLACK FLACON Porsche

After the disqualification this weekend, Max Verstappen and his team have their eyes focused on the 24-hour race with rumours that the Dutch Formula 1 Champion may be back racing in the NLS with the Mercedes-AMG GT3.

ROWE Racing celebrated their unexpected win, saying that the importance of strategy is important at the green hell. The disqualification serves as a reminder that the technical side is just as vital as speed at this demanding circuit. The series continues on the 11th of April for NLS 3.

Article written by Zoë Wokke