Mercedes boss reacts to Verstappen's disappointment: 'Makes it even more bitter'

It actually looked like it was going to be a one-two for Mercedes-AMG on the Nordschleife. After choosing a good strategy at the start of the race, the two cars moved into the lead. During their stints later in the evening, they even fought each other, after which the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Verstappen Racing stayed in front. However, three hours from the end, the driveshaft broke, bringing their race to an end.

"Those 24 hours, it really felt longer than this," Sagemüller tells GPblog. "We had various phases that were really intense and nerve -wracking. But of course, in the end, more than happy to be able to bring at least one car home and bring the victory back to Affalterbach," the German continues proudly.

It was an emotional day for Mercedes, as it was also the first victory since 2016. Back then, Maro Engel won in the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS. "It is a very special feeling, but it begins long before the 24 hours because when it comes down to the preparation phase, bringing everything together like the bits and pieces and defining the best possible preparation phase you can get," Sagemüller says, offering a behind-the-scenes look.

"The process starts much, much earlier, so also along the way seeing the drivers, the mechanics, the teams, also the new infrastructure we had with Windward Racing here and the Verstappen Racing team and Team RAVENOL, so we had many various in the equation, so especially this phase was very important to us," the Mercedes executive points out.

"In the end, seeing how it turned out and everything is going well, we were well structured, we were all very calm, so the operation went very smoothly, which is a key factor in such a long and intense race. And then of course seeing that everything pays off and it's turning out very well is the best you can get" He is especially proud that everything ran like a well-oiled machine. That way, it can only get better next time.

Sagemüller has to admit that the day would have been perfect if the car of Verstappen, Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer had also made it to the finish. The fact that the entire process went so smoothly and pleasantly also heightens the disappointment of losing the Verstappen Mercedes. "I think everybody really could feel, not only inside but also outside the team, that it went really, really smoothly," he says.

"This is like an even more bitter pill to swallow than the three that weren't able to finish in the place they deserved. But yeah, I mean, that's racing. We know that this can always happen, but still, of course, it's like mixed feelings, of course, more than all of them, that we were able to bring the victory back home after 10 years. But also on the other hand, yeah, really a bit upset about the result for #3," he concludes.