u/weiruolai

Host: Will you gather the gang again next year?

Dani: Well, it will depend on a lot of things. I think Max wants that, but he hasn’t told us whether or not it will happen. I know Max wants to return [to the 24H of Nürburgring], but he hasn’t told us if that’s going to happen or not. I don’t know. Maybe Formula 1 will decide to schedule a race on the same weekend as Nürburgring.

Host: I can see that happening.

Dani: No, of course, because of all the talks about how successful this [type of racing] is versus Formula 1 with the new regulations. Maybe they will take it as “okay, I will schedule a Formula 1 race weekend at the same time as Nürburgring”, so then what? What happens? Of course, I want to believe it won’t be like that, but yeah. What I want to say is that Max’s top priority is Formula 1 right now, not Nürburgring. Yeah, it is his dream to race and win in Nürburgring, but yeah. I would like to see what would happen if they [F1] do that, what would Max decide? Because I know he wants to race at Nürburgring again. Let’s see. I think that if he decides to race it again, the gang should reunite.

China GT Championship Youtube (English commentary):

• Qualifying GT3: https://www.youtube.com/live/hxu7JaWbNW0
• Qualifying GTS/GTC: https://www.youtube.com/live/DqLueZ6vg4g
• Race 1 GTC/GTS: https://www.youtube.com/live/rmmWUdXabv0
• Race 2 GTS/GTC: https://www.youtube.com/live/gmsolNd8FZs
• Race 1 GT3: https://www.youtube.com/live/UtalkFj6jRQ
• Race 2 GT3: https://www.youtube.com/live/DgOXkUDZw2E

China GT Championship Facebook:

• Qualifying GT3: https://www.facebook.com/events/1639254130859319
• Qualifying GTS/GTC: https://www.facebook.com/events/854826200448248
• Race 1 GTC/GTS: https://www.facebook.com/events/961257003352928
• Race 2 GTS/GTC: https://www.facebook.com/events/960207026649959
• Race 1 GT3: https://www.facebook.com/events/1335520241781631
• Race 2 GT3: https://www.facebook.com/events/834972286342412

There will be other channels covering this race, doing commentary in other languages. I'll update this post once the links for the livestreams are available!

UNO Racing has unveiled its livery design for the second stop of the China GT Championship at Ningbo.

This is a Mumu and Momo-inspired livery, created by UNO Racing driver Thomas Song. Thomas will be racing with Adderly Fong; meanwhile, Rio and Anson will remain as a pair, for championship purposes.

They unveiled their racing suits; it's an HRX customized to fit this theme.

UNO Racing has unveiled its livery design for the second stop of the China GT Championship at Ningbo.

This is a Mumu and Momo-inspired livery, created by UNO Racing driver Thomas Song. Thomas will be racing with Adderly Fong; meanwhile, Rio and Anson will remain as a pair, for championship purposes.

They unveiled their racing suits; it's an HRX customized to fit this theme.

Dani Juncadella: "I came out of the pits, and everything felt normal. After about a third of the lap, I saw an ABS fault message that kept flashing on and off. I reset the message, and that was fine, but then I realised the ABS wasn't working.

"I was driving without ABS, but it wasn't actually that bad. I could somehow manage it and adjusted the brake balance a bit to prevent the front tyres from locking up. The car was still controllable.

"I had the feeling they wanted me to come in to find the problem. But I thought it was better to keep going and maybe figure out what we could do. Then I started hearing noises. Eventually, the car became undrivable, of course. At one point, I felt something was going to break."

"I drove slowly back to the pits, and we found a problem with the driveshaft. That then caused extra collateral damage to the rest of the car. That probably also caused the issue where the electronics went haywire, and the ABS was switched off."

"We have repaired the car, and I will drive the last two laps to check if the car is okay and to reach the finish."

"Of course it's heartbreaking, because we had a great race. We had a perfect race. I've been dreaming for a very long time of winning this race, so today it hurts."

"Tomorrow we're just drivers again. We do our sport. We love our sport, but in the end, racing is like this."

"There are many things you can't control. It can hurt on a day like this, but it doesn't have to remain a big drama for very long. We'll be back next year."

"I think it was just something unlucky. It's a mechanical problem. The driveshaft was completely new."

"We drove very carefully in the last six or seven hours, because both cars were in a very good position. There was no reason to take extra risks. We didn't abuse the kerbs, we were just careful."

• Max: Very unfortunate and frustrating ending, but these things can happen. I still really enjoyed the experience together with Jules, Luggi, and Dani. Thanks to the team and everyone around the track for your support.
• Dani: Motorsport can be brutal sometimes. What a ride though… I love you and hate you so much, Nordschleife 🥵 Thanks everyone for the incredible support this week. I guess we’ll have to be back? 👀
• Jules: The word heartbroken probably doesn’t even come close to what we feel right now. We were doing everything right with Max, Luggi, and Dani, but the Green Hell had other plans. It’s crazy how this sport can give you the highest highs and, in the next moment, make you feel ten feet underground. At the end, an issue with 3 hours remaining took it away from us. Massive thanks to the whole team for the unbelievable work and effort. Need a little time away to process this one 😅

Max's comment under Jules and Dani's posts is "we will be back".

Looking forward to 2027!

Max Verstappen and his team delivered an outstanding performance at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Despite what happened on the final stretch of the race, they showed focus, pace, and teamwork under whatever conditions this hell of a track threw at them.

Exceptional work from the mechanics, props to them. And lovely from Verstappen Racing to go out for one final lap for the fans.

via Vincent Bruins.

The team worked hard to fix the car so they could rejoin the race in the final stage, so that fans could see #3 once more.

Dani Juncadella: "I came out of the pits and everything felt normal. After about a third of the lap I saw an ABS fault message that kept flashing on and off. I reset the message and that was fine, but then I realised the ABS wasn't working.

"I was driving without ABS, but it wasn't actually that bad, I could somehow manage it and adjusted the brake balance a bit to prevent the front tyres from locking up. The car was still controllable.

"I had the feeling they wanted me to come in to find the problem. But I thought it was better to keep going and maybe figure out what we could do. Then I started hearing noises. Eventually the car became undrivable, of course. At one point I felt something was going to break."

"I drove slowly back to the pits and we found a problem with the driveshaft. That then caused extra collateral damage to the rest of the car. That probably also caused the issue where the electronics went haywire and the ABS was switched off."

"We have repaired the car and I will drive the last two laps to check if the car is okay and to reach the finish."

"Of course it's heartbreaking, because we had a great race. We had a perfect race. I've been dreaming for a very long time of winning this race, so today it hurts."

"Tomorrow we're just drivers again. We do our sport. We love our sport, but in the end racing is like this."

"There are many things you can't control. It can hurt on a day like this, but it doesn't have to remain a big drama for very long. We'll be back next year."

"I think it was just something unlucky. It's a mechanical problem. The driveshaft was completely new."

"We drove very carefully in the last six or seven hours, because both cars were in a very good position. There was no reason to take extra risks. We didn't abuse the kerbs, we were just careful."

>Q: Why do you like sports?
Wang Yibo: The joy of sports is not just about sweating. Good athletic performance also requires thinking and coordination. It can be said that "the ultimate strength is contained within gentleness".

Placed in the very center of the rooftop was a short "street lamp," about a meter tall. Wang Yibo only asked, "Is this lamp stable?" before climbing up. For a while, he tilted his head back, closed his eyes to rest, occasionally swaying gently, and smoothing his hair, which was billowing in the wind, with his hand. He sat there high up, his clothes billowing in the wind. At this moment in his life, he seemed to be enjoying the gale.

On a rooftop near the China World Trade Center, tents, streetlights, sofas, water tanks, and ladders were set up. The day before filming, Beijing issued a yellow gale warning, predicting overcast skies, gusts of wind reaching level 8 or 9, dust storms, and scattered thunderstorms the following day. Everyone anxiously hoped it would be a sunny day.

On the day of filming, Beijing was hit by its biggest sandstorm of the year. On the 30th-floor rooftop, people could barely stand. The howling wind whipped up black sand and gravel, and people rushed towards areas piled high with clothes and jewelry, using their bodies to hold down the flying tents. Filming was abruptly halted. Would the wind stop? If not, what would happen next? Someone was asking: Was there a Plan B?

Extricating myself from the chaos, I turned back to find Wang Yibo. The expected, logical sequence of reactions a celebrity would take in such a situation didn't materialize. He stood there, a slight smile playing on his lips amidst the comical disarray, as if amused by his own amusement. Wang Yibo was only wearing a white shirt, shielding himself from the fierce winds blowing high up on the rooftop in early April, but instead of seeking shelter, he turned and strolled to the edge of the rooftop, gazing into the distance. There, between the buildings, the horizon was shrouded in swirling dust.

Viewing the city from a certain distance reveals a unique charm. On one side lies the CBD, with the China World Trade Center and CCTV building standing side by side, and the China Zun statue resembling a slender-necked wine vessel nestled between them; on the other side, the southern part of the city remains unchanged for years, its buildings arranged in a neat, comb-like pattern. You don't often have the opportunity to overlook Beijing from this perspective.

Wang Yibo pushed open the rooftop door. At that time, there was no sign of the afternoon sandstorm. Beijing's weather in late March and early April is unpredictable, and we still held onto a sliver of hope that the weather forecast might be wrong. He was never one for words, and this time he arrived quietly as well. Someone saw him and greeted him, "Hello, teacher." He nodded and said, "Hello." Then he went into the changing tent and began styling.

Because of rock climbing, Wang Yibo's hands are a bit rough; they are the hands of an athlete.

The first set of photos was taken around 1 p.m., with not a breath of wind and the sky as dark as iron. The art department had erected a black steel ladder along the outer wall of the rooftop stairwell. He stood on the ladder, moving up and down as instructed by the photographer.

The black ladder, the gloomy diffused light at noon, the concrete of the terrace, his dark red leather jacket, and rusty trousers—these colors interact to create a harmonious yet austere wasteland atmosphere.

When he puts on the leather jacket, Wang Yibo's racing driver side comes to the fore. He loves racing cars, and clearly, he prefers the direct physical experience to talking about it on screen: experiencing the pressure of gravity on every part of his body when cornering; experiencing the feedback from the seat and the vibration of the steering wheel in the racing cockpit at speeds exceeding 250 kilometers per hour.

Hair perfect, clothes perfect, everything going smoothly, the first outfit is done. Wang Yibo's photoshoots usually wrap up early, and this time was no exception. The next outfit was a white shirt and light blue jeans, and just as they were about to start filming, a sudden gust of wind arrived.

The wind showed no signs of stopping, and the original plan was no longer working.

The first problem was the tent. The tent, set up on the rooftop for hanging clothes and changing, looked sturdy, but now it was like seaweed tossed about in an ocean current. We had to take it down and urgently move all the clothing and accessories. Wang Yibo had to change in the next building, or in the narrow stairwell—neither would be very comfortable. The second problem was how to maintain a presentable look in the wind. Fortunately, the set for the second outfit was a sofa. When he lay down, the thick leather formed a mini-sheltered barrier, offering some protection against the wind from all directions.

After some time, the wind subsided slightly, but not by much. Wang Yibo changed his clothes and returned to the scene. He lay down relaxed on the sofa, his hair flying wildly, revealing a black hair clip behind his ear. It was meant to tuck some hair behind his ear, but now, the hair was completely unrestrained. So, the hairstylist gave up the resistance, and filming continued.

He put on a denim jacket, climbed onto a black pommel horse-shaped runway, and walked around on it, letting the photographers take pictures.

But occasionally, an unexpected turn of events can lead to a surprisingly good result. Wang Yibo, in the wind, revealed a different state. Perhaps the whistling sound reminded him of the experience of speeding on a racetrack, perhaps the powerful intervention of nature reminded him of the sense of focused isolation during wilderness climbing, or perhaps it was simply because the wind was too strong, setting aside complex movements and giving him space to drift off into his own thoughts.

Although everyone was worried about the outcome of the shot, he appeared relaxed in front of the camera.

Shortly after finishing filming, Wang Yibo will be racing in the China GT Championship. This is his second season. Last year, he completed three races as a rookie; this year, he continues to represent the Uno Racing Team, driving car number 85, partnered with professional driver Mao Junhao. The 2026 season is also a record-breaking year for China GT. In earlier years, the stands were sparsely populated, and only a few cars were racing on the track. This year, dozens of cars entered the GT3 class, and more than 40,000 tickets for the Shanghai race sold out instantly.

Being with Wang Yibo gives you this feeling: even standing right next to him, he seems to have retreated into his own world. He pours all his passion into that world. But Wang Yibo clearly didn't intentionally choose a path different from what people had planned for him; these things simply hold a natural attraction for him. Like racing, like rock climbing. If there's a common thread between the two, it might be that they both provide ample time for solitude.

In his next outfit, Wang Yibo changed into shorts, revealing two small scars on the front of his shinbone. Those were the legs of a rock climber.

The wind was still blowing, but it no longer carried dust. The sky had cleared up imperceptibly, revealing a clean blue hue. The ground was damp; there was water splashed in the foreground of one of the photos. The small puddles, contrasting with the clear sky, gave the illusion of a scene after a rainstorm.

The wind was still blowing as Wang Yibo nimbly climbed up. The photographer pressed the shutter, and a gasp rippled through the crowd: "Beautiful!" Against the backdrop of nothingness, his feet rose above the horizon. Wang Yibo sat there alone, as if he were in a cockpit or suspended on a cliff face during a rappel.

Standing below, looking up at Wang Yibo from this angle, reminded me of Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees—he stands atop the treetops, "seeing everything, yet indifferent to everything"—he persists in being himself in a seemingly impossible way, while still maintaining a relationship with the world. Wang Yibo shifts his focus in different worlds, seeking a certain balance, but at this moment, perched on the rooftop, he is simply enjoying the feeling of the wind blowing.