Nürburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen Leads as Mercedes Dominates After Overnight Battle

Max Verstappen's Mercedes-AMG GT3 has seized control of the Nürburgring 24 Hours after a tense overnight battle, opening a 20-second lead as the race enters its final third. The #3 Winward Racing entry survived a nail-biting scrap with Maro Engel that saw the #80 Mercedes briefly off track, before stretching its legs at dawn.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's charge—backed by a strong team strategy and Mercedes' reliability—underscores the manufacturer's dominance at the Nordschleife. With the #3 and #80 Mercedes holding the top two spots, the race is shaping up as a intra-team duel, highlighting Mercedes-AMG's endurance prowess ahead of future GT campaigns.

The details:

• The key moment came when Verstappen and Engel fought for the lead, culminating in Engel's off-track excursion at high speed. The #3 then built a gap, now held by Lucas Auer.
• Behind the leading duo, a tight battle for third pits the #99 BMW M4 GT3 against the #34 Aston Martin, while an SPX-class BMW M3 Touring sits fifth overall—a unique estate car with M4 running gear.
• An oil spill at Aremberg forced several cars into the gravel, but the front-runners escaped unscathed.

What's next:

With eight hours remaining, the #3 Mercedes looks comfortable, but the Nürburgring is notorious for late-race safety cars and weather shifts. If reliability holds, Verstappen's team can cruise to victory, while the fight for the final podium spot remains wide open.