The #911 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R has retired from the 54th edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours after just under four hours of running following an accident for Kevin Estre in the Brunnchen section of the track.
With their fiercest rival out of the race, the #3 Winward Mercedes shared by Formula 1 star Max Verstappen Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer is now in a prime position to dominate the Eifel endurance classic.
Up until the accident, the 'Grello' had been the only car capable of keeping pressure on the #3 Winward Mercedes.
But as Verstappen delivered a masterclass in his first double stint in the race, even DTM champion Ayhancan Guven had no answer to his pace, with the four-time F1 champion pulling out a gap of over 20 seconds.
After the driver change to Jules Gounon and Estre respectively, the chase began anew. Gounon had bad luck in a long Code 120 zone and got stuck behind the Dacia Logan, which has no speed limiter. As a result, he lost ten seconds in one fell swoop.
Grello's wait for win #8 goes on!
— Intercontinental GT Challenge (@IntercontGTC) May 16, 2026
📺 https://t.co/nRctemYlyf#IGTC | #24hNBR pic.twitter.com/98AN4tiHvF
But before another duel could ensue, Estre suddenly spun out at Brunnchen. He hit the ground tail-first and was subsequently only able to park the Type-992 Porsche 911 as the damage was too severe. The Frenchman sat stunned in the cockpit for minutes, as he and team-mates Guven, Thomas Preining and Matt Campbell were forced out of the race.
As it turned out, the #320 Four Motors Porsche had dropped fluids on the track, leaving Estre with absolutely no chance of avoiding the slide.
Nicki Raeder, Managing Director of Manthey Racing, commented: "Unfortunately, he slipped on an oil spill; there was absolutely nothing he could do. That is the bitter side of this race. It is so incredibly difficult to see on this track. He crashed, and then the engine seized because a belt snapped. It’s unrepairable.
"Motorsport is character-building. When you are successful, you can be sure that failure is just around the corner. But in the end, what matters is that you keep going."
He also hinted that Manthey Racing could return with a two-car assault in 2027.
The Grello was not the only victim at Brunnchen - a section colloquially known as the 'YouTube Corner' due to famous videos captured on tourist driving days from there.
Right behind Estre, another incident took place in the same corner. Just as the area had been cleared, Arjun Maini had a serious accident in the #64 HRT Ford. He lost control on the same fluid spill, suffered a massive tank-slapper, and hit the barriers head-on.
Massive impact for the Mustang! And that's the same corner where Manthey's Porsche just crashed.
— Intercontinental GT Challenge (@IntercontGTC) May 16, 2026
📺 https://t.co/nRctemYTnN#IGTC | #24hNBR pic.twitter.com/FU9zJOVJKG
Marshals' error eliminates Scherer Audi and KCMG AMG
The Grello's retirement wasn't the only boost for Verstappen’s victory chances, as three other potential winners were also knocked out early.
In the second hour, the #45 Kondo Ferrari crashed at Hatzenbach following a misunderstanding with a slower Porsche Cayman. Shortly after, a bizarre communication error by the track marshals eliminated both the #47 KCMG Mercedes and the podium-contending #16 Scherer-Phx Audi.
According to official documents, a green flag was mistakenly shown at one marshal post, causing the KCMG Mercedes to accelerate, only to be confronted by a "Code 60" speed limit at the very next post.
The chasing Audi had no time to react and slammed into the back of the Mercedes, eliminating both cars on the spot. The stewards ruled it a system error, handing out no penalties to the drivers and reminding the clerk of the course to avoid such misunderstandings.
With several top-tier factory rivals eliminated, the battle for the lead has turned into a tactical affair. The lead currently rotates between the #3 Winward Mercedes and the #67 HRT Ford depending on pit stops, but when taking the pit stops into account, Verstappen's AMG is clearly ahead of the Ford Mustang GT3 Evo.
Verstappen’s brilliant double stint from fourth to the lead dismantled the opposition. Racing with a high-risk, high-reward mindset—at one point overtaking a rival with two wheels on the grass—the F1 champion was unmatched. Neither in the dry nor in the light drizzle could anyone match his lap times.
With the BMW M4 GT3 Evos seemingly lacking the necessary pace to fight for the win outright, Verstappen's biggest threat for the 24-hour crown is now his own sister car, the #80 Winward AMG.
