Max Verstappen's Team Finishes Third in Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying 1

The first qualifying session for the Nurburgring 24 Hours saw Max Verstappen's Team Verstappen Racing entry end Qualifying 1 in third place, with the #80 Mercedes-AMG topping the timesheets in mixed conditions.

Why it matters:

For Verstappen, making his 24-hour endurance debut at the Nordschleife, a solid start is crucial. The early pace shown by his team, co-driven by Juncadella, Gounon and Auer, indicates they are in the hunt for a strong grid position ahead of Saturday's main race.

The Details:

• Session conditions: Rain arrived late in the session, creating a mixed track that affected times.
• Early lead: The #3 Mercedes-AMG initially held the top spot before Verstappen handed over to teammates.
• Top challengers: With 30 minutes to go, Fabio Schuller in the #80 Mercedes jumped to first with an 8:14.957, while the #1 BMW M4 GT3 slotted into second.
• Close field: The top three were covered by just 3.5 seconds on the long 25.378 km circuit.
• Top 10: The leading pack includes entries from Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ford and Audi – a typical Nordschleife mix.

What's Next:

On-track action resumes later with Qualifying 2, where teams will have another chance to improve their grid positions. The full 24-hour race gets underway later this weekend.