The #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car spent much of the Nurburgring 24 Hours in the lead and, with just over three hours remaining, victory appeared all but certain.
Its gap to the sister #80 Mercedes in second continued to grow, but then heartache struck as problems began emerging at the start of Juncadella’s stint around the 21st hour.
The dashboard displayed an ABS warning and although Juncadella initially stayed out for another lap, vibrations from the cockpit then forced him into the pits.
It was in the garage that the team diagnosed it as a driveshaft failure and this ended hopoes of a debut victory for Verstappen, who had been faultless throughout.
Speaking to Motorsport.com and others, Juncadella said: “I was driving without ABS, but actually it was not that bad. I could somehow manage it. I adjusted the brake balance a little bit to avoid locking the front tyres.
“The car was still drivable. I felt like they wanted me to box to investigate the issue, but I thought it was better to continue and see what we could do. Then I started hearing noises and, in the end, the car became undrivable. I felt like something was eventually going to break, so I drove slowly back to the pits.”
The driveshaft problem also caused significant collateral damage to the rest of the car and Juncadella added: “That probably also created the electronic issue that confused the ABS systems and caused them to switch off.”
No explanation for the failure
The Spaniard revealed he has no clear explanation for the issue. “I think it’s just bad luck,” he said. “It’s a mechanical failure. The driveshaft was completely new.
“On top of that, we had actually been driving very carefully for the last six or seven hours because both cars were in such a strong position and there was no need to take unnecessary risks. We weren’t abusing the kerbs, we were being careful - and it still happened.”
Juncadella also dismissed suggestions that occasional contact during the race, particularly the banging of wheels between Verstappen and Maro Engel in the #80 AMG around 3am locally, may have contributed to the problem.
“No, I don’t think so,” he replied when asked whether that could have been a factor. “That was many hours earlier. I think it would be too much to say it was caused by that. That’s motorsport. Unfortunately, it happened to us today, but I don’t think there’s anybody to blame.”
All in all, Juncadella described the retirement as “heartbreaking”.
“We had an amazing race,” he reflected. “We were actually driving a perfect race. I’ve been dreaming of winning this race for a long time.
“But in the end, we are just racing drivers. This is our sport and we love our sport. Racing is like that - there are many things you cannot control and sometimes it hurts. But it also doesn’t have to become a huge drama. We’ll come back next year.”
