Max Verstappen Team Leads at the Nordschleife

With fewer than seven hours remaining in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo crew featuring Max Verstappen continues to hold the lead. Their closest rivals remain the No. 80 Mercedes, with the gap between the two front-running cars fluctuating by only a handful of seconds.

An intense duel unfolded throughout the night as the two Mercedes entries repeatedly traded positions. After one of the restarts, Verstappen overtook Maro Engel, but the battle soon escalated into contact between the pair, sending Engel onto the grass. The German driver narrowly avoided the barriers and was able to rejoin the race without major damage.

Lucas Auer has since taken over the leading car and is steadily increasing the advantage at the front. The No. 34 Aston Martin currently runs third, nearly six minutes adrift of the leaders. Mercedes has not claimed victory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours for ten years, though this year the manufacturer appears firmly on course to end that drought.