Verstappen disagrees that the reason for the retirement was contact.

      The "24 Hours of Nürburgring" could very well have ended with a victorious double for Mercedes, but the right drive shaft on Max Verstappen's team's car failed, requiring a lengthy repair that lasted 119 minutes.

      Experts from the reputable German publication Auto Motor und Sport wondered what could have caused the malfunction. There could be several theories, but each of them is questionable in its own way, primarily because the drive shafts on the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo are considered one of the most reliable components of the car.

      Nevertheless, something inside this component was damaged, causing the bearing of the rear right wheel to break down, which led to a hub failure. The repair was completed only towards the end of the race, and the Mercedes sports car in Red Bull colors with the number 3 left the pits just to complete a symbolic lap and finish in the frame alongside the winning car, which was also a Mercedes-AMG.

      Perhaps on Saturday, when Max replaced Daniel Hünkadel in the driver's seat, he drove too aggressively? After all, at the beginning of his stint, he found himself off the track a couple of times, but he managed to "catch" the car – the Dutch driver is a great master at this.

      Experts also consider this version unlikely. At the start of the race, many drivers act quite aggressively in their desire to gain positions, which is hard to dispute, but the issue is likely something else.

      A more plausible explanation is that the drive failure was a result of contact. It immediately recalls that there indeed was contact with Mercedes No. 80, and it was this car that ultimately won the race.

      However, Verstappen disagrees with this version: "The contact between the cars was somewhere in the front, not in the rear."

      In endurance racing, especially on such a challenging track as Nürburgring, the factor of luck is very important, and Max and his teammates at Verstappen Racing simply had bad luck. It can be assumed that Mercedes-AMG will conduct a thorough analysis of what happened using the most modern equipment, after which they will share some official conclusions, but it cannot be ruled out that the question of the causes of the drive failure will remain unanswered...