Max Verstappen and company are still leading the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. The Dutchman drove his night stint in the #3 Mercedes between 01:30 and 04:00 and fought his way to P1 after a brief battle with the sister car of RAVENOL. Jules Gounon then managed to hold the lead before handing the wheel over to Lucas Auer at dawn. The race still lasts more than 8.5 hours; the checkered flag will only fall at 15:00.
Read more VIDEO: Max Verstappen starts night shift at the Nürburgring, chases the lead position
Verstappen started his second stint in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 last night. He closely followed race leader Maro Engel – an old acquaintance of the F1 driver – before outsmarting the German after half an hour of racing in the dark. However, the RAVENOL Mercedes did not give up so easily.
It was tense for a moment when both cars briefly touched, but the drivers got through the night unscathed. “The Nordschleife is always special at night,” Engel responded after his driver change. “It’s a great place and I really enjoyed racing all night long together with Verstappen. I hope we entertained the fans a bit.”
Read more Nürburgring explained: How to get through the night as a driver
Dawn
Verstappen built a small lead before handing the car over to Jules Gounon. The Frenchman – who lost a few places during his first stint – managed to hold the lead in the early morning. Around 06:30 he handed the wheel back to Lucas Auer. The lead over the #80 Mercedes was twenty-two seconds at that time. The #34 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Walkenhorst followed in third place, although at a respectable distance.
…and Verstappen goes around 😮💨 #24hNBR
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.#nürburgring #nordschleife #racing #motorsport pic.twitter.com/XB1FqLxJ3VRead more Special victory for De Vries at Formula E in Monaco
— ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring (@24hNBR) May 17, 2026
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Also read: How to watch the 24 Hours of Nürburgring live with Max Verstappen
