Former F1 driver suffers Nurburgring 24 Hours disqualification as license stripped

Timo Glock has been disqualified from the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours and stripped of his Nordschleife licence after committing a second Code 60 zone violation. Driving at 112 km/h during a night stint in the #69 McLaren with a Schumacher-inspired Benetton livery, the former Toyota F1 driver triggered a severe penalty that also banned him from future Nordschleife events until reinstatement.

Why it matters:

This incident underscores the unforgiving safety standards at the Nordschleife, where even experienced professionals face immediate disqualification and licence revocation for repeated infractions. Glock's absence forces his team to continue without a key driver, and his path back to competition requires reapplication and mandatory retraining.

The details:

• Glock committed his second offence by exceeding the 60 km/h limit in a Code 60 zone, a common safety measure during night hours.
• The stewards' report stated: "Timo Glock has received a penalty for the second time. As he has received an additional two penalty points, this has resulted in the loss of his Nordschleife licence. At the same time, it means he is disqualified."
• His teammates — Martin Kirchhöfer, Ben Dörr and Timo Scheider — were allowed to continue the race without him.
• Glock must now apply for reinstatement and retake the mandatory e-learning course to regain his licence and be eligible for future Nordschleife races.

What's next:

Glock is expected to seek reinstatement promptly, but the process may keep him out of competition for several weeks. The Nürburgring 24 Hours continues with his team aiming to secure a strong finish despite the setback.