Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen took to the Nurburgring to race in the NLS Race 2 this weekend. The Dutchman’s presence created a lot of attention for the series. Former IndyCar driver John Randal Hildebrand took a subtle dig at F1 following the Verstappen effect at the “Green Hell”.
Verstappen has been bashing the new F1 regulations since the Bahrain test, highlighting how the racing has become all about battery management. The Dutchman has come out multiple times since and detailed his reasoning for being critical about the 2026 F1 cars.
The fanbase is split about the new regulations, with some hating the new regulations, while others enjoy the back-and-forth overtaking action created with the new cars and the battery management.
Since Liberty Media took over F1, the sport has shifted it’s focus towards making the racing a spectacle, hence attracting newer audience. While the new style of racing with the 2026 cars is entertaining, Max Verstappen came out and warned F1 about the long-term effects of catering the sport towards entertainment.
After a difficult couple of weekends in F1, Verstappen took to the Nurburgring and raced the #3 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3, and utterly dominated, taking the win by nearly a minute after grabbing the pole position by 1.9 seconds.
After the race, the crowd at the Nurburgring was seen swarming Max Verstappen, who was also responsible for creating a lot of hype around the NLS series. No battery management, just a driver pushing the car to the limits every lap.
Former IndyCar driver John Randal Hildebrand, better known as J.R. Hildebrand, took to Instagram and shared a story of Verstappen being surrounded by the fans after the NLS Race 2, with a user suggesting it was “The Max Verstappen effect.”
Hildebrand took a sly dig at F1, highlighting how the new regulations have created racing altered for the TV. He wrote,
“Media distribution is decentralized and access to and awareness of things that are happening has never been greater and will only continue to grow. Value will naturally re-align around the things that are really worth giving a shit about rather than what fits a TV model best. And the future of motorsport will be won by racers being racers at the highest level.”
Max Verstappen disqualified from the NLS Race 2; stripped of the win
Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, and Jules Gounon teamed up for NLS Race 2 for #3 Winward Racing entry under the Verstappen Racing banner. After dominating the race and winning, about two hours later, they were disqualified by the governing body for using an extra set of tires than what was permitted.
Winward Racing Team Principal Christian Hohenadel’s statement following the disqualification read,
“The disqualification hurts. Unfortunately, a mistake was made within the team that forced race control to retroactively disqua- lify the winning car. For us, this was our first outing as a Mercedes-AMG Performance team on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. I would like to apologize to everyone who was rooting for us. We will now thoroughly analyze the day, meticulously prepare for the remaining races, and work toward the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring with full concentration.”
Max Verstappen will be back at the Nordschleife for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring later this year in May.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi