Nürburgring 24 Qualifier Race 2: Audi win as Max Verstappen impressive charge ends in damage

The #16 Scherer-Phx Audi controlled the race once Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG fell away, securing a commanding win after four hours with a margin of 28.024 seconds over the #84 Abt Lamborghini of Engstler, Bortolotti and Niederhauser. The Manthey Porsche #911 “Grello” of Preining and Campbell completed the podium after a tense late battle.

The result, however, only tells part of the story. The race was defined early on by Verstappen’s aggressive opening stint, where the Formula 1 World Champion surged from fifth on the grid into the lead within the opening laps.

Verstappen wasted no time at the start, clearing the #23 Gamota Racing entry before passing the Manthey Porsche of Preining to move into third. He quickly dispatched the pole sitting Ferrari #45 and closed on Haase’s Audi, taking the lead on lap four after capitalising in traffic.

A fierce duel followed between Verstappen and Haase, with the pair running side by side on the long Nordschleife straight before the Dutchman held position. The battle underlined the intensity at the front, echoing their earlier fights in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie.

Haase said: “It was once again simply fantastic to be out there in a wheel to wheel battle. Today it was a bit more difficult. I didn’t feel quite as comfortable with the rear of the car. It was a bit better last time, so we still need to work on that. But it was fantastic again and very respectful, great driving. It was a good show again, I think.”

Verstappen maintained the lead through his first stint and resumed control during his second run: “In the second lap of my second stint, I realized something was wrong as the front splitter was broken. It's odd, because I didn't touch anyone, so we'll have to investigate what caused this and find a solution," said the four time world champion

The damage forced an unscheduled stop after ten laps. Repairs lasted around 25 minutes, ending any chance of a strong result as Lucas Auer later returned to the track for preparation laps ahead of the 24 hour race.

With the Verstappen Racing Mercedes effectively removed from the fight, the Scherer-Phx Audi inherited control and managed the race from the front.

At one stage, the #84 Abt Lamborghini reduced the gap to just under ten seconds, but in the final hour Ben Green extended the advantage to secure victory. The official margin stood at 28.024 seconds at the flag.

Third place went to the Manthey Porsche #911, which survived intense pressure from the #80 Winward Mercedes in the closing laps. A 32 second time penalty for failing to meet minimum pit stop time dropped the AMG entry out of contention for a higher finish.

The fight for third delivered one of the standout moments of the race, with Fabian Schiller pushing hard against Thomas Preining.

An overtaking attempt on the Döttinger Höhe was defended firmly by Preining, with further close exchanges and light contact following. After a hard but fair battle, the Porsche driver held position to secure the final podium spot.

Without its penalty, the Winward Mercedes may have had the pace to challenge further up the order, but ultimately the fight was limited to the final step of the podium.

Despite finishing down in P38, Verstappen focused on the value of the running ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours: “I had fun and the car felt good, so I'm happy with that. I also managed to do my stints, in traffic as well, which was pretty intense.

“I had fights with other GT3 cars, so it was good preparation for the 24h race. I'm as ready as I can be. The only things I haven't done is drive in the dark.”

The race also saw early drama for the pole sitting Kondo Ferrari #45, which retired on lap five after a collision while lapping traffic at Brünnchen.

Several cars failed to start following qualifying incidents, including the Falken Porsche #44 and the Dunlop Porsche #17, while the BMW Z4 #36 could not be repaired in time after its own accident.

Before the start, a minute of silence was held for Juha Miettinen, who died on Saturday following a multi car collision in the Klostertal section of the Nordschleife.

For Verstappen, the headline result was lost. But the performance, the battles and the mileage ensured his focus now shifts firmly to the main event in May, where the lessons from this race will matter far more than the final classification.