Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz have won the 2026 ADAC Ravenol Nürburgring 24 Hours with the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 after a rainy final phase of the race.
The victory marks the first overall Nürburgring 24 Hours win for Mercedes-AMG since 2016. Maro Engel was also part of that winning lineup ten years ago, while Maxime Martin, Fabian Schiller, and Luca Stolz each celebrate their first overall victory at the Nordschleife classic.
Second place went to the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 of Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser. Despite receiving an 86-second post-race penalty for speeding in a Code 60 zone earlier in the race, the Lamborghini crew managed to stay ahead after the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 lost valuable time in a Code 60 zone in the final metres of the race.
Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes and Nicki Thiim completed the podium for Walkenhorst Motorsport after a strong drive throughout the race. The #34 Aston Martin was a constant presence at the front of the field, but ultimately could not match the pace of the two Winward Mercedes-AMGs and later the recovering ABT Lamborghini.
Verstappen Racing Loses The Win
The final hours of the Nürburgring 24 Hours brought more problems for several leading teams.
The #26 PROsport racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Marek Böckmann, Adam Christodoulou, Mikaël Grenier, and Chris Lulham officially retired from the race after suffering splitter damage.
At the front, Max Verstappen brought the leading #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the pits with a lead of almost 49 seconds over Maro Engel. Verstappen handed the car over to Daniel Juncadella with less than four hours remaining, while Engel stayed aboard the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 for another stint.
Not long after the driver change, major issues suddenly appeared for the leading Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Juncadella slowed dramatically with an ABS issue, allowed Maro Engel through into the lead, and brought the car into the garage for lengthy repairs on the driveshaft. This ended the Winward double lead at the front and left the #80 Ravenol Mercedes as the sole Winward in contention.
The repaired #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 later returned to the track for a final short run after the team fixed the ABS and driveshaft issue.
The #130 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 also stopped at Galgenkopf during the closing stages with technical issues.
With less than three hours remaining, Maro Engel handed the leading #80 Ravenol Mercedes-AMG over to Fabian Schiller, while the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 and #99 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 moved up the order after the Verstappen Racing problems.
Penalties Change The Battle For The Podium
Another penalty soon affected the fight for the podium. Luca Engstler in the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 was found speeding at 116 km/h in a Code 60 zone and received a one-minute and 26-second stop-and-go penalty.
With around ninety minutes remaining, Fabian Schiller handed the leading Mercedes-AMG car over to Luca Stolz. At that stage, the team held a lead of more than six minutes over the recovering Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini, while the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 continued running in third.
With less than one hour remaining, Mirko Bortolotti completed the final pit stop for the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3, while the leading #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 also returned to the pits from the lead to switch onto intermediate tyres as rain had started to set it. Maro Engel climbed back into the Mercedes-AMG for the final run to the finish.
Bortolotti moved back into second place despite carrying the large time penalty, forcing the Italian to push to maintain the gap to the Walkenhorst Aston Martin.
Another late incident came when Alessandro Ghiretti crashed the #55 Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3 R from eleventh position. The Porsche later caught fire beside the circuit, bringing more yellow flags in the closing stages.
On the final lap, Bortolotti looked set to settle for third, with Mattia Drudi holding a virtual lead of about 20 seconds over his fellow countryman. However, second place for Red Bull Team ABT was secured when Drudi hit a late Code 60 at Döttinger Höhe, costing the Walkenhorst team valuable time and finishing in third.
Mercedes-AMG Back On Top
In the closing laps, Maro Engel still had to carefully manage changing conditions around the Nordschleife as light rain briefly returned to parts of the circuit. The German kept the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 under control to bring home the win.
After starting only 25th following Maro Engel’s Top Qualifying crash, the #80 Winward Mercedes-AMG came charging through the field from the opening laps and eventually completed a stunning comeback at the Nordschleife.
With the sister Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG later dropping out of contention, the #80 crew controlled the final hours to secure Mercedes-AMG’s first overall Nürburgring 24 Hours victory since 2016.
Nürburgring 2026 Results – Top 10
- #80 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
Maro Engel / Luca Stolz / Fabian Schiller / Maxime Martin
156 laps - #84 Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3
Luca Engstler / Mirko Bortolotti / Patric Niederhauser
156 laps - #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3
Christian Krognes / Mattia Drudi / Nicki Thiim
156 laps - #99 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3
Daniel Harper / Max Hesse / Sheldon van der Linde / Dries Vanthoor
156 laps - #81 BMW M Motorsport BMW M3 Touring 24h
Jens Klingmann / Ugo de Wilde / Connor de Phillippi / Neil Verhagen
156 laps - #24 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R
Laurin Heinrich / Laurens Vanthoor / Ricardo Feller
156 laps - #54 Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3 R
Bastian Buus / Michael Klitgaard Christensen / Joel Sturm / Loek Hartog
155 laps - #67 HRT Ford Mustang GT3
Dennis Olsen / Christopher Mies / Frederic Vervisch / Frank Stippler
155 laps - #77 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Marco Wittmann / Philipp Eng / Charles Weerts / Robin Frijns
154 laps - #48 LOSCH Motorsport by Black Falcon Porsche 911 GT3 R
Daan Arrow / Patrick Assenheimer / Tobias Müller / Dylan Pereira
154 laps
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