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Max Verstappen has reflected on the splitter issue that derailed his race at the NLS5 race.

The Dutchman had been firmly in control of proceedings in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Winward Racing, building a lead of over 30 seconds before being forced to pit after detecting a problem with the car. The issue ultimately cost the team around 28 minutes in the garage as they worked to repair the No. 3 entry.

However, sharing his thoughts about the events that unfolded, Verstappen revealed he first noticed something was wrong as early as the second lap of his stint, with the situation worsening as vibrations intensified and the splitter began to fail.

The setback opened the door for rivals, with Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II driver Alexander Sims capitalising to move into the race lead.

After repairs were completed, Verstappen’s teammate Lucas Auer returned the car to the track, though the lost time ended any hopes of victory.

On the day following the fatal accident on the Nordschleife, the motorsport community came together and raced on. Still, it felt different than Saturday afternoon, when the sun was shining and everyone was happy to be racing again.

The Sunday began grey, cold, and rainy. Upon arrival, the paddock was quiet, the garages were closed, and there was little going on. Mechanics and engineers stood chatting here and there, some sharing a hug. Sadness and disbelief are still clearly palpable.

Not everyone in the paddock knew the late Juha Miettinen, but the news hit hard. To ‘just’ strap back in on Sunday morning, with rainy and dangerous conditions, felt especially tough for some drivers. The driver line-up of the Scherer Audi was visibly moved.

One of the drivers said he was doing okay after the news, but that he was unsure whether it was the right decision to carry on today. Several in the paddock had expected all sessions to be cancelled, GPblog understood. At Keeevin Motorsport, Miettinen’s team, packing up was done quietly.

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