Aston Martin Vantage Achieves First Overall Podium on 20th Anniversary of Nürburgring Debut

Vantage secures 3rd place overall at the 2026 ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24 Hours

Walkenhorst Motorsport and works drivers Mattia Drudi, Christian Krognes, and Nicki Thiim achieve Aston Martin's best-ever 'Nürburgring' record

Aston Martin earns its 34th class podium finish at the Nürburgring

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Aston Martin's participation in the Nürburgring 24 Hours with an outstanding performance in a grueling race

May 17, 2026:

Over the weekend, Vantage, the most successful racing car from British ultra-luxury high-performance brand Aston Martin, finished at a record-high 3rd place in the 54th ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24 Hours.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Aston Martin's debut in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, a 24-hour race held on a 15.8-mile course stretching across the mountainous Eifel region of Germany, notoriously known as the "Green Hell" due to its severity. In this monumental year, Aston Martin and works drivers Mattia Drudi (Italy), Christian Krognes (Norway), and Nicki Thiim (Denmark) secured 3rd place overall in the Walkenhorst Motorsport Vantage GT3 in what is arguably motorsport's toughest endurance race.

This sets a new record for both Aston Martin and Germany's Walkenhorst Motorsport—who won the Spa 24 Hours in 2018—as their first-ever overall podium finish at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, stated: "This is a fantastic result. There is no tougher proving ground for a racing car than the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and the Vantage rose to that challenge brilliantly. Given the dedication, meticulous preparation, and immense skill required to achieve such a result, it is a well-deserved outcome for everyone at Walkenhorst Motorsport and Aston Martin Racing."

"Being in the fight for the podium throughout the 24 hours and establishing ourselves among the top contenders further highlights the Vantage's prestigious pedigree. It marks the perfect start to the summer as we look forward to the vast potential of the Le Mans 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours next month."

The SP9 class, in which the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Vantage competed, featured an entry of over 40 GT3 cars and attracted significant media attention this year due to the participation of four-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen. In the SP9 Pro class qualifying, Drudi and Krognes performed exceptionally well to secure 1st and 2nd respectively in Top Qualifying 1. Ultimately, Thiim secured a respectable starting position of 11th out of 161 cars in Top Qualifying 3.

Because the Nürburgring 24 Hours is known for descending into chaos shortly after the start, Walkenhorst opted for an early strategic pitstop ahead of most other teams, offsetting their fuel plan by two laps. This allowed Thiim to execute a successful undercut, propelling the car into the top five. From this position, Aston Martin navigated the rest of the race. Unusually low temperatures (3°C–5°C) favored the Pirelli tires, which also contributed to their strong performance.

After Thiim's initial double stint, Krognes took over, moving the Vantage up to 2nd before handing it to Drudi. Drudi encountered the first intermittent rain of the race but handled it with his usual composure, building a 40-second lead.

During a difficult and chaotic night phase that forced several top contenders to retire, the lead pack's strategies paid off alternately. The Walkenhorst trio engaged in a three-way battle for 3rd place with a Lamborghini and a BMW, behind the leading two Mercedes. With less than two hours remaining, Verstappen's car encountered trouble, effectively turning the battle for 3rd into a battle for 2nd.

Entrusted with driving the car to the glorious podium finish, Drudi began to close a gap of over 2 minutes to the 2nd-place Lamborghini. When the Lamborghini was handed an 86-second penalty for a Code 60 violation, Drudi charged hard for 2nd on intermediate tires on a slippery track, but his hopes were cruelly dashed by a Code 60 violat...