Max Verstappen remains undefeated in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. In the second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series NLS, which was the first race of the season due to the cancellation of round 1, the Dutchman, along with Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon, prevailed in his first outing in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Despite facing much tougher competition than in their debut, the trio controlled the race for long stretches and ultimately won by a margin of nearly 60 seconds over the ROWE BMW #99 driven by Jordan Pepper and Dan Harper. Third place went to the Falken Porsche #44 driven by Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller.
Intense fighting in the early stages
Starting from pole position, Verstappen lost the lead as early as the first lap. On the Döttinger Höhe, Christopher Haase in the Scherer Audi #16 overtook him and initially took the lead.
In the ensuing laps, the pair engaged in an intense duel and quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Haase remained in the lead for much of the first stint before Verstappen regained the lead with a decisive maneuver in the Tiergarten area shortly before the first pit stop.
After the driver change, the Audi could no longer keep up with the pace of the leaders, which was also attributed to the team's lesser GT3 experience.
BMW briefly put Verstappen's team under pressure
In the middle of the race, a close battle developed between the leading Mercedes and the ROWE BMW. Dan Harper, in particular, was able to make up a lot of time during this phase and put pressure on Jules Gounon.
However, an incident decided the further course: While attempting to take the lead, contact was made with a lapped Porsche Cayman. The race stewards then imposed a penalty lap on the BMW, costing valuable seconds and significantly reducing their chances of victory.
Dominant final phase
After the final pit stop, Verstappen took the wheel again and entered the final phase of the race with a comfortable lead. He controlled the proceedings with a gap of over 40 seconds until the finish line and didn't let anything slip.
Falken-Porsche Fights its Way to the Podium
The Falken-Porsche #44 staged a strong comeback. After qualifying outside the top 10, Tim Heinemann and Sven Müller steadily worked their way up the field.
In the closing stages, Heinemann first overtook the Black Falcon Porsche #48 and then set his sights on the second-place BMW. In the end, however, Jordan Pepper managed to hold on to second place.
Behind the podium, the Black Falcon Porsche, the Kondo Ferrari #45, and the Walkenhorst Aston Martin rounded out the top six. The Scherer Audi, which had led for much of the race, finished seventh.
Further notable features in the field
- Lamborghini remained without major highlights, finishing in eighth and tenth place.
- The KCMG Mercedes fell back during the race after a strong start
- The BMW M3 Touring project completed a solid debut
Jens Klingmann and Ugo de Wilde brought the vehicle to 13th place, albeit with a significant gap to the leaders.
Conclusion
Even in the second race, it's clear: Max Verstappen is quickly finding his way around the Nordschleife. Despite stronger competition and intense duels, the Dutchman once again prevailed – thanks to consistent performance, flawless strategy, and strong teamwork.