Verstappen Wins NLS2 by One Minute on Mercedes-AMG Debut

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen scored a second Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie victory with a second different manufacturer after triumphing alongside factory drivers Dani Juncadella and Jules Gounon in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the ADAC Barbarossapreis contest.

While the Verstappen Racing machine – operated by Winward Racing – won by some 59.524 seconds, it was far closer in the opening stages of the race when Verstappen had a cracking battle with Christopher Haase in the No. 16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.

Verstappen had grabbed pole in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG by almost two seconds around the Nordschleife and maintained his lead at the start, however Haase had a great run on the Doettinger Hoehe further around the opening lap and blasted into the lead.

The Dutchman was rarely more than a second behind the Audi during the remainder of the frenetic opening stint as they negotiated the huge amounts of traffic from the 128-strong field often inches apart.

Verstappen then had a good run on the Doettinger approaching the end of the first hour as Haase was somewhat caught out by lapped cars and the Mercedes-AMG nosed ahead into the following kink.

Both cars then immediately pitted but Nico Hantke, in for Haase in the Audi, emerged in front of Juncadella.

However, the German’s relative lack of experience compared to the factory racers was soon exposed as he was quickly demoted by Juncadella and the Audi began plummeting down the order.

The next car to challenge the Verstappen entry was the No. 99 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which was one of three crews that pitted two laps earlier than the leaders to vault up the order.

Dan Harper had closed right in on Gounon aboard the lead Mercedes-AMG in the third hour, with the BMW briefly grabbing top spot using its straight-line superiority on the Doettinger.

But, on the following lap, Harper and Gounon went either side of a lower class Porsche Cayman on the Grand Prix track and Harper hit the backmarker delaying him and enabling Gounon to nip back ahead, while Harper later picked up a penalty for the contact.

From there, the Mercedes-AMG was untroubled to take the win with Verstappen climbing back aboard for the final stint to triumph in what had become the opening NLS round after NLS1 was canceled amid snow and cold temperatures last weekend.

This followed Verstappen’s victory last September at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GT3 on his debut in the SP9 ranks in the NLS9 event.

Behind him, the Audi had jumped back up to second spot with Haase at the wheel but, when Hantke climbed aboard for the final 45 minutes, it dropped down to finish seventh.

Instead it was Harper and Jordan Pepper in the BMW that finished second, while the No. 44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Tim Heinemann and Sven Mueller completed the podium.

Pepper also had a tangle with a backmarker in the closing stages but it did not delay him enough to enable Heinemann to pounce, the Porsche finishing just a second adrift.

The Porsche was in the thick of a close fight between five cars that squabbled throughout the closing stages with the No. 48 Black Falcon Porsche of Tobias Mueller, Patrick Assenheimer and Dylan Pereira eventually taking fourth and winning the Pro-Am division.

Thierry Vermeulen’s Ferrari was less than a second behind Pereira at the flag in the Kondo Racing machine he shared with Thomas Neubauer and David Perel, while the sixth-placed No. 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Mattia Drudi and Christian Krognes was only three seconds behind.

Further back in 13th overall was the BMW M3 Touring 24H, the wagon having been inspired by an April Fools’ Day joke and completed an impressive debut race.

It was entered in the SPX class but was able to mix it with the GT3 cars of the SP9 division and ran untroubled throughout.