The opening four hours of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring delivered chaos and rapidly changing weather conditions, with Max Verstappen getting the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the lead during his double stint.
The drama began almost immediately on the GP circuit when the ROWE Racing #99 BMW of Dan Harper spun on the opening lap after contact. Behind them, the #84 Lamborghini of Mirko Bortolotti was forced into the pits before even reaching the Nordschleife following minor contact with the #3 Mercedes driven by Daniel Juncadella, requiring a right-rear tyre change.
Up front, the early battle between Kévin Estre’s #911 Porsche and Juncadella set the tone for an aggressive opening stint. Estre later clashed with Marco Paul in the #7 Aston Martin before eventually forcing his way through.
As the first hour ended, the #3 Mercedes handed over to Verstappen, while Porsche swapped Estre for Thomas Preining in the #911. Verstappen immediately became the story of the race while aggressively driving through traffic. Verstappen himself nearly suffered a huge moment after the car appeared to lift over a crest, potentially causing floor damage, but he recovered and overtook Engelhart’s #7 Lamborghini soon after.
Hour three brought another major accident when Thierry Vermeulen crashed the #45 car in a frightening impact similar to Maro Engel’s qualifying shunt on Friday. Alexander Sims then suffered a dramatic crash in the #16 Audi, somehow limping the destroyed car back to the pits with the hood completely raised.
By hour four, Verstappen had brought the #3 Mercedes into the overall lead before handing over to Jules Gounon. In contrast, Estre’s #911 Porsche hit the barriers and required recovery, while Dennis Olsen moved the #67 Ford into contention as rain began to fall across sections of the Nordschleife.
Twenty hours of racing remain on the clock with some of the biggest competitors of Max Verstappen’s #3 Mercedes; the #911 Porsche ‘Grello’, #16 Audi, #64 Ford, and #45 Ferrari out of the race already.
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