Max Verstappen's Chance at Winning NLS5 Crashes and Burns

Max Verstappen's hopes of winning the NLS5 were crushed by a mechanical issue that forced him to make a long pit stop.

Despite his best efforts, the four-time F1 world champion was unable to overcome the problem and eventually finished 39th overall, and 21st in the GT3 class.

Verstappen was racing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Team Verstappen-run Winward Racing outfit, alongside regular partner Lucas Auer.

The Belgian-German duo had qualified their car in fifth place, with Auer setting the fastest lap to secure the spot.

Verstappen took the start but was forced to pit early after reporting a vibration in the car.

Although he completed two stints without further problems, the issue reappeared during his third stint, forcing him to make a long stop to investigate the problem.

Verstappen's car was eventually repaired, but by that time the damage was done and he was unable to recover the lost ground.

The car was eventually classified 21st in class, but was 39th overall in the final classification.

The team's woes were compounded by a DNF in the previous NLS3, where they had won in the GT3 class but had their victory cancelled due to a technical infringement.

The win in NLS2 is also no longer valid due to a technical breach.