Max Verstappen Takes Nürburgring 24 Lead as Ferrari, Audi and Mercedes Crash Out

Max Verstappen did not just join the Nürburgring 24 for attention. After three hours, he had turned one of motorsport’s most unforgiving races into a serious victory bid, taking the lead while Ferrari, Audi and Mercedes rivals were already dealing with race-changing damage.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion moved to the front in the No. 3 Winward Racing-run Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo after taking over from Dani Juncadella. His early stint had the full Nürburgring storyline: speed, traffic, risk, grass, pressure and opportunity. For fans watching Verstappen outside the usual Formula 1 format, this was a reminder that endurance racing rewards aggression only when it is controlled.

The race has drawn a much wider audience because of Verstappen’s presence, with Sky Sports carrying live coverage of the Nürburgring 24 as the event runs from Saturday into Sunday. But the early drama showed why the race is not simply a guest appearance for an F1 star. The Nordschleife punishes small mistakes, and several front-running cars discovered that before the race had even settled into its overnight rhythm.

Verstappen Turns Early Risk Into Race Control

Verstappen’s first stint began with tension. Shortly after taking over the Mercedes-AMG from Juncadella at the start of the second hour, he ran wide onto the grass at Eiskurve. Later, while passing Jesse Krohn’s No. 47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG at Klostertal, he again touched the grass during a bold move through traffic.

Those moments mattered because the Nürburgring 24 is not a clean sprint race. Drivers are constantly moving through slower cars from different classes, often at huge closing speeds and on a circuit where the margin for correction is thin. Verstappen’s ability to keep the car alive after those early scares was as important as the pace that followed.

His next target was Ayhancan Güven in the No. 911 Manthey “Grello” Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, which was effectively leading among cars on a more conventional strategy. When Güven struggled to slow the Porsche at the first corner during the third hour, Verstappen moved down the inside and made the corner stick. It was a decisive pass, not just for position but for momentum.

From there, Verstappen chased Christian Krognes in the No. 34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo and Dennis Olsen in the No. 67 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 EVO. Both cars had moved up after earlier pit stops, but as the strategies began to cross over, Verstappen’s pace put them under pressure.

He passed Olsen at Galgenkopf and later went after Krognes at Tiergarten, where the Aston Martin appeared to be struggling with front grip. Verstappen took the lead, and Olsen soon moved past Krognes as well. By the end of the third hour, Verstappen was around two seconds clear, with Güven fourth in the Manthey Porsche.

Ferrari, Audi and KCMG Mercedes Lose Ground Early

The strongest angle of the opening phase was not only Verstappen’s rise. It was the contrast between his escape from danger and the heavy price paid by other contenders. Thierry Vermeulen’s No. 45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, the sole Ferrari in the field, crashed heavily at Hatzenbach after an attempt to pass Josh Jacobs in the No. 969 SRS Team Sorg Rennsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Vermeulen had just taken over the Ferrari early in the third hour when the incident unfolded. He appeared unsure which side to choose while approaching the Porsche, placed one wheel on the grass and was sent into a spin before hitting the barriers. At a race where 24 hours can be lost in a single second, Ferrari’s headline entry was suddenly in deep trouble.

There was more damage elsewhere. Alexander Sims in the No. 16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, which had started third, collided with Krohn’s No. 47 KCMG Mercedes-AMG as the cars encountered slower traffic when a Code 60 period ended at Pflanzgarten. Sims managed to bring the Audi back to the pits with major front damage and the hood raised, but the car looked unlikely to continue in competitive shape. Krohn’s Mercedes-AMG was out immediately.

That sequence underlined the unique danger of the Nürburgring 24. A Code 60 restart, mixed-class traffic and a narrow section of the Nordschleife can turn a front-running race into a survival exercise. For Verstappen’s supporters, the early lead was encouraging. For endurance racing regulars, the bigger message was clear: three hours at the front means little if the next 21 are not managed with the same discipline.

Behind the leaders, the SP-X class BMW M3 Touring 24h ran an impressive fifth with Neil Verhagen at the wheel, helped by an alternative strategy. Pavel Lefterov sat sixth in the No. 7 Konrad Lamborghini Huracan EVO2, and third among the cars following a more traditional strategic path.

The broader context is important. Verstappen’s Nürburgring 24 appearance comes with genuine racing weight because he is not simply completing laps in a promotional entry. Sharing with Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer, he is part of a line-up capable of challenging for the overall win. That raises the stakes for both Formula 1 fans and long-time endurance racing followers.

Swikblog previously covered the dangerous side of this event’s build-up after a fatal qualifying crash placed renewed attention on safety around the Nürburgring. Readers can revisit that wider background here: Driver Killed, Six Injured in Nürburgring 24H Qualifiers Multi-Car Crash.

For now, Verstappen has done what many came to see: he has put himself at the front of one of the world’s toughest races. But the opening hours also proved why the Nürburgring 24 is different from most headline motorsport events. A lead can be built through bravery, but it can disappear through traffic, weather, darkness, strategy or one wheel placed in the wrong patch of grass.