Nurburgring 24 Hours Day 1: Watch live as Max Verstappen attempts to win on debut
Originally published by Crash.net
Watch live as four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen takes on the legendary Nurburgring.
Verstappen is attempting to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours at the first attempt
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is taking on the famed Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend.
Verstappen will race in a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car as he continues his extracurricular racing exploits outside of F1.
The Red Bull F1 driver will team up with Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer at the prestigious and gruelling 24-hour race.
The action gets underway on Thursday with two qualifying sessions taking place.
Verstappen is racing in a Red Bull-liveried Mercedes GT3
You can watch all the action live via the embed below.
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Nurburgring 24 Hours Full Schedule
Thursday, 14 May
Qualifying 1: 12.15pm - 2.15pm
Qualifying 2: 7pm - 10.30pm
Friday, 15 May
Top Qualifying 1: 9.15am - 9.45am
Top Qualifying 2: 10.05am - 10.35am
Qualifying 3: 11am - 12.05pm
Top Qualifying 3: 12.35pm - 1.35pm
Saturday, 16 May
Warm-up: 9 a.m. - 10am
Starting Lineup: 11.45am - 1.40pm
Open Grid: 12.10pm - 1.10pm
Formation Round: 1.40pm
Race Start: 2pm
Sunday, 17 May
Race Finish: 2pm
All times in BST.
Verstappen targeting debut win
Verstappen is looking to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours at the first attempt
Verstappen has made his desire to race at the legendary event at the Nordschleife known for a long time.
The Nurburgring 24 Hours is the blue-ribband event for the Nurburgring Endurance Series in Germany and poses one of endurance racing’s toughest tests at a track nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’.
161 cars forming 23 different car classes will take part in the 24-hour race at the 15.769-mile circuit, with Verstappen’s team represented in the top class featuring the fastest GT3 cars on the planet.
Verstappen has made it clear he is targeting overall victory.
“Success is winning. That’s very simple. That’s why we’re here. Of course I know it’s not going to be easy but that’s the target,” the 28-year-old Dutchman said.
It is not the first time Verstappen has raced in this machinery, or circuit.
Verstappen has been preparing for months with a series of race outings in GT cars across various disciplines. In total, he has made six appearances at the Nordschleife over the past 12 months.
He won on his GT3 debut in the Nurburgring Endurance Series in September last year in a Ferrari 296 entered by Emil Frey Racing.
Verstappen thought he had added another GT3 victory to his name when he finished first on the road in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with his own Verstappen Racing team during a four-hour NLS2 race at the Nurburgring in March, only to be disqualified for a tyre infringement.
What are the challenges Verstappen will face?
Verstappen has had six outings at the Nurburgring over the past year
While Verstappen has collected some valuable experience at the Nordschleife, both on the simulator and in the real world, the Nurburgring 24 Hours is new territory for him.
So far Verstappen has adapted to GT3 machinery flawlessly, but the challenge will be significantly greater as he takes on his first real-life 24 hour-race. He will have stints in both the day and the night, potentially have to contend with different weather conditions, and navigate traffic.
Verstappen’s cause will be aided by being joined by experienced GT and endurance racers in Juncadella, Auer and Gounnon, but there will be elements outside of his control.
Verstappen will also face stiff opposition from other Mercedes GT3 entries, Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, BMW M4 GT3s, Ferrari 296 GT3s and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 cars. In total, there are 40 cars entered into what will be the largest GT3 field ever to tackle the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Risk calculation and concentration will be other key factors throughout the brutal race.
“It can be anything, really. Dealing with traffic, you don’t know what happens with your car, or whatever,” Verstappen said of the challenges he is expecting.
"Conditions before, is there rain or not, that will make it a lot harder. If it’s fully dry and beautiful, then it’s a different. You are just trying to go as fast as you can without taking too many risks. But we’ll deal with that on the weekend.
“That’s why we are doing the preparation races before the 24. That’s where you learn the most [about] dealing with traffic, flags, and of course pit stops, changing the seat and the driver, that is of course very useful. That’s why you do these shorter races around here.”