Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has taken victory in the #31 Ferrari 296 in his debut GT3 race in the Nurburgring Endurance Series.
The Dutchman took the lead from third on the grid into the first corner, and he and team-mate Chris Lulham never looked back, taking a commanding win by 24.4s from the #9 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang.
Verstappen was in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296, adorned in Verstappen.com Racing and Red Bull colours, for qualifying earlier in the day, taking third, bemoaning traffic on his final run, which he felt denied him pole position.
But the obstruction on that lap, as the fog that delayed proceedings lifted, did not matter, as he and Lulham took an astounding maiden triumph.
A rolling start saw Verstappen immediately take the initiative, using all his experience of motoring away from his rivals in F1 Safety Car starts.
The ‘Green Hell’ is a totally different animal to modern F1 circuits, and would be for many drivers, but Verstappen and Lulham navigated the 14.1-mile circuit with considerable skill.
In second place came the #9 Ford Mustang, co-driven by British driver Jann Mardenborough. It was an impressive display from them too, as it was the first time he had competed at the circuit since a 2015 accident in which a spectator was killed by his car vaulting over the catch fencing.
For Verstappen, it underlines another success in a career full of them already, and further underlines another string to the Red Bull man’s bow.
You can rewatch the race here
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