Social media is rife with claims that Max Verstappen was given an extra 35 kilograms for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours—here’s what’s behind this misconception
Surprisingly, a rumor persists on social media that the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was 35 kilograms heavier than normal during the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. This is complete nonsense, as the AMG raced, just as in previous years, with a weight of 1,355 kilograms.
To understand why these 35 kilograms keep popping up on social media, one must investigate where this figure comes from. Anyone tracing the claim back ultimately ends up at the US portal MotorBiscuit, which published the headline “Max Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24H Bid Hit by Brutal BoP Penalty” in mid-May. In English, roughly: “Max Verstappen’s chances at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring thwarted by brutal BoP penalty.”
From there, this headline quickly made its way to Reddit and other platforms. Other websites also picked up the story without question, so that the 35 kilograms eventually even ended up on MSN. But what is really behind the ominous 35 kilograms of additional weight?
The figure was taken from the official BoP documents but taken out of context. In the official BoP, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is listed with a minimum weight of 1,355 kilograms. The McLaren 720S GT3, on the other hand, was allowed on the track with a weight of 1,320 kilograms. Subtracting these two values yields exactly the discussed difference of 35 kilograms.
Ultimately, this was a case of comparing apples to oranges, as the 35-kilogram difference had existed since the 2025 24-hour race. In fact, nothing had changed at all. In reality, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 even received two air restrictors that are 0.5 millimeters larger than in 2025 to keep the aging vehicle competitive.
The Balance of Performance serves to bring fundamentally different vehicle concepts to the same performance level. Due to its beefy front-mounted V8 engine and overall construction, the Mercedes is inherently one of the heaviest vehicles in the GT3 circuit. The McLaren, with its mid-engine layout and carbon-fiber chassis, represents a completely different vehicle concept.
So sandbags were by no means stuffed into Verstappen’s cockpit at the last minute before the race. Every single Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the entire starting grid had to compete with this 1,355-kilogram weight, just as they have since the introduction of the Evo version in 2020.
Ultimately, this illustrates the classic phenomenon of social media: a raw number is copied from an official table, garnished with a dash of drama for quick clicks, and suddenly a conspiracy theory with no solid basis spreads like wildfire.