Max Verstappen has qualified on behalf of his team for the final qualifying session ahead of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. After teammate Lucas Auer had already joined the top twenty in the first session, the F1 driver was fast enough in the second half-hour for the third and decisive Top Qualifying. For a long time, he topped the timesheet, but in the end, the Dutchman was pushed back to P6 – just enough for a ticket to TQ3.
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The second session on Friday was shaken early by a crash from Maro Engel. The German GT3 star drives for Team RAVENOL and, like Verstappen, has a Mercedes-AMG GT3. The team is considered one of the favorites this weekend at the Nürburgring, but Engel hit the barrier early and then spun onto the grass. He got out unharmed but did not record a time in this second top session. From that moment on, a Code 60 was in effect around the crash area, preventing the other drivers from improving their times.
On the way to TQ3
Once the stranded Mercedes was recovered, Verstappen got one more chance to improve his lap time. The flag had already fallen, so he could not afford any mistakes. He shaved more than three seconds off his previous time and clocked a lap of 8:11.614. Ultimately, this earned him P6, leading his team to Top Qualifying 3.
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Only seven spots were available for TQ3; five teams had already secured a place in the ultimate session on Friday through their performances in the NLS and the qualifying races in April. In total, twelve teams compete for pole position. TQ3 starts at 13:35.
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