Author of an exceptional stint, Max Verstappen took the lead of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring after several spectacular overtakes. The Dutchman impressed the entire paddock in his first participation in the legendary event.
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Max Verstappen continues to make an impression on the Nordschleife. After nearly retiring earlier in the race, the four-time F1 world champion completely turned the situation around thanks to a monumental stint behind the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 from Team Verstappen Racing.
Starting from fourth position with Dani Juncadella at the start, the car had lost several places due to different strategies adopted by competing teams. When Verstappen took over after the first hour, he found himself only tenth.
A far from ideal situation on a circuit as difficult to overtake on as the Nürburgring. Yet, the Red Bull driver quickly showed he was not in Germany just to participate.
A huge scare before the show
Verstappen’s stint start almost turned into a disaster. A few minutes after getting into the car, the Dutchman lost control of his Mercedes-AMG GT3 over a bump on the track.
Forced onto the grass, he came very close to the barrier in an impressive scene that could have ended his team’s race.
But once past this alert, Verstappen completely changed pace. The world champion began climbing back through the field with perfectly controlled aggression and impressive speed.
Spectacular overtakes to take the lead
The first big moment came when he overtook the BMW #47 from KCMG driven by Jesse Krohn with authority. Shortly after, Verstappen again thrilled the spectators with a particularly clean maneuver on the Porsche #911 Manthey Racing of DTM champion Ayhancan Güven.
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Meanwhile, several favorites faced major problems. Thierry Vermeulen, driver of the Ferrari #45 Realize Kondo Racing, saw his race end after a violent accident following contact with a Porsche Cayman.
The Audi #16 from Scherer Sport PHX also retired after a huge pile-up in a Code 60 zone.
Verstappen, meanwhile, continued his relentless climb. After nearly three hours of driving, he was already in third place and rapidly closing in on the Aston Martin #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport and the Ford #67 HRT Ford Performance.
Then came the sequence that exploded the Nürburgring.
A phenomenal double overtake
In a spectacular sequence, Verstappen managed to successively overtake the two leading cars to take command of the race. An exceptional maneuver that immediately triggered the enthusiasm of the tens of thousands of fans present around the Nordschleife.
After two particularly intense stints of seven laps each, the Dutchman finally handed the wheel to Jules Gounon, leaving the Mercedes #3 in the lead of the event.
For his first participation in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Max Verstappen already confirms that he will be a force to be reckoned with until the end.
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