Revealed: Where Max Verstappen ended up in first qualifying for Nurburgring 24 Hours
Originally published by Crash.net
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen placed third-fastest in the first qualifying session for the Nurburgring 24 Hours on Thursday.
Verstappen was the first driver behind the wheel in the No.3 Red Bull-liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Verstappen Racing entry during the two-hour session and set the early benchmark with an 8m18.539s.
The 28-year-old Dutchman’s time was beaten by Fabian Schiller in the No.80 Mercedes by 3.6 seconds before Verstappen handed over to team-mates Dani Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer.
Verstappen is trying to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours at the first attempt
Raffaele Marciello - in the No.1 Rowe Racing BMW - also outpaced Team Verstappen Racing to go second-fastest.
There was a scary moment when Alexander Hardt’s No.900 Porsche GT3 Cup car pulled over to the side of the track on fire, before it was hit by the No.146 WS Racing entry.
Both drivers were unhurt but it was a close call for Hardt, who was narrowly avoided by Carrie Schreiner as he was inspecting his stricken car.
The track action continues on Thursday evening with the second qualifying session, which takes place between 7 and 10.30pm UK time.
| Nurburgring 24 Hours - Qualifying 1 - Top 10 | |||||
| POSITION | TEAM | CLASS | DRIVERS | CAR | TIME |
| 1 | #80 Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL | SP9 | Engel, Stolz, Schiller, Martin | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 8:14.957 |
| 2 | #1 ROWE RACING | SP9 | Farfus, Marciello, Van der Linde, Pepper | BMW M4 GT3 | 8:18.069 |
| 3 | #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing | SP9 | Verstappen, Juncadella, Gounon, Auer | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 8:18.539 |
| 4 | #99 ROWE RACING | SP9 | Harper, Hesse, Van der Linde, Vanthoor | BMW M4 GT3 | 8:18.602 |
| 5 | #911 Manthey Racing | SP9 | Estre, Güven, Preining | Porsche 911 GT3 | 8:21.717 |
| 6 | #130 Red Bull Team ABT | SP9 | Mapelli, Catsburg, Yelloly | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 8:21.998 |
| 7 | #77 Schubert Motorsport | SP9 | Wittmann, Eng, Weerts, Frijns | BMW M4 GT3 | 8:26.625 |
| 8 | #64 HRT Ford Racing | SP9 | Olsen, Mies, Vervisch, Maini | Ford Mustang GT3 | 8:26.751 |
| 9 | #16 Scherer Sport PHX | SP9 | Haase, Sims, Green | Audi R8 LMS GT3 | 8:27.080 |
| 10 | #17 Dunlop Motorsport | SP9 | Andlauer, Boccolaci, Menzel, Picariello | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 8:27.176 |
How does the qualifying format work?
Qualifying at the Nurburgring 24 Hours is a unique and complex affair.
It is split into a two-day event, with qualifying sessions spread across both Thursday and Friday.
Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 take place on Thursday and help to start shaping the grid for the lower classes, with positions P50 to P161 locked in.
Verstappen is racing in a Red Bull-liveried Mercedes GT3 car
These comprise of a two-hour afternoon session, and a three-and-a-half hour evening session to enable drivers the chance to get to grip with driving after dark.
For the leading runners, Thursday’s sessions are effectively practice outings.
The main qualifying then starts on Friday with Top Qualifying deciding the leading grid spots.
These are split into three sessions - Top Qualifying 1, 2 and 3. There is also a Qualifying 3 session which takes place on Friday, before Top Qualifying 3.
Top Qualifying 1 runs for 35 minutes, with the fastest 20 cars moving onto Top Qualifying 2.
The fastest 12 cars will battle it out for pole position and the leading grid positions during Top Qualifying 3.