Earlier than the stewards stepped in to strip the NLS2 win from the #3 Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3, , , and delivered a traditionally quick efficiency on the Nurburgring.
The #3 Mercedes entered below the Verstappen Racing banner accomplished 29 laps on the 24.358km mixture of the GP dash circuit and the Nordschleife. In NLS 4-hour races, reaching the 29-lap mark is a uncommon feat, often occurring solely as soon as per season on common. Most races final 28 laps.
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Often, when a race lasts 29 laps, the lead automobile crosses the end line for the penultimate time shortly earlier than the four-hour mark, resulting in complete race occasions north of 4h05m.
This race was totally different. Verstappen, Juncadella, and Gounon clocked in at 4:04:53.328, making the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis the third-fastest four-hour race in NLS historical past with a median pace of 173.070km/h.
Solely two four-hour races within the historical past of the collection have been sooner. and set the file on the 2023 season finale with a time of 4:03:38.088 (173.961 km/h). It was greater than a minute sooner than Saturday’s race.
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Paradoxically, the file was achieved by a Phoenix Racing-entered Audi, the predecessor to at this time’s Scherer Sport PHX staff, which gave Verstappen a run for his cash with on the wheel.
The second-fastest race was achieved by , and within the Manthey Porsche “Grello” on the 2022 season opener with a time of 4:04:28.582 (173.362 kph).
It’s price noting that the 2023 file was set with solely 113 entries within the race in comparison with 125 for the Grello Porsche and 129 for the Verstappen Racing AMG.
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Decrease site visitors density reduces the chance of accidents and Code 60 zones, that are often the deciding think about whether or not a race reaches 29 laps.
4 out of seven laps below the eight-minute mark
Verstappen’s private contribution was exceptional as soon as extra. Solely Haase within the aforementioned #16 Scherer PHX Audi might comply with with each gapping the sector early on.
The German and the four-time Formulation 1 world champion engaged in an equally skilled and thrilling battle, earlier than Verstappen snatched the lead for good simply earlier than the primary pit cease.
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The info displays this dominance when wanting on the common lap occasions of all SP9 Professional entries as much as the primary cease (the primary 5 to seven laps, relying on the automobile):
Common lap occasions (Opening stint):
Max Verstappen #3 – 8:05.636 Christopher Haase #16 – 8:05.768 Augusto Farfus #98 – 8:10.953 Thomas Neubauer #45 – 8:11.012 Maximilian Paul #7 – 8:11.957 Sven Müller #44 – 8:12.140 David Pittard #47 – 8:13.539 Mirko Bortolotti #130 – 8:13.541 Dan Harper #99 – 8:16.232 Mattia Drudi #34 – 8:16.377 Nico Menzel #17 – 8:20.972 Ugo de Wilde #77 – 8:23.671 Arjun Maini #64 – 8:23.833
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Lap 3 and 4 had been interrupted by Code 60 zones, however from lap 5 onwards the monitor was clear once more. So this listing adversely impacts these automobiles that pitted after lap 5 and 6, as a result of they’d fewer Inexperienced Flag laps.
To make sure a good comparability, we additionally analysed solely the primary 5 laps. On this window, Haase was truly forward of Verstappen and thus takes the lead:
Common lap occasions (Laps 1–5):
Christopher Haase #16 – 8:08.134 Max Verstappen #3 – 8:08.178 Augusto Farfus #98 – 8:13.367 Thomas Neubauer #45 – 8:13.823 David Pittard #47 – 8:13.539 Mirko Bortolotti #130 – 8:15.006 Maximilian Paul #7 – 8:15.013 Sven Müller #44 – 8:15.473 Dan Harper #99 – 8:16.232 Mattia Drudi #34 – 8:16.377 Nico Menzel #17 – 8:20.972 Ugo de Wilde #77 – 8:23.671 Arjun Maini #64 – 8:23.833
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The info confirms that Verstappen and Haase had been in a league of their very own, with a five-second hole per lap to the remainder of the Professional area.
The “F1 Sample” repeated
In endurance racing, races are received as a staff. Verstappen has a status in F1 for utterly dismantling team-mates as a result of they wrestle along with his particular automobile setups.
At NLS2, he wasn’t racing along with his sim-racing mates who could be used to his set-ups, like at Verstappen’s first Nordschleife outing in September 2025, however with elite manufacturing unit Mercedes drivers.
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The inner common lap occasions for the #3 Mercedes inform a transparent story:
Max Verstappen – 8:03.111 Jules Gounon – 8:08.580 Dani Juncadella – 8:16.964
Verstappen did 13 laps throughout two stints at the beginning and the tip of the race. In seven of these laps, he broke the magic eight-minute barrier.
Gounon and Juncadella did eight laps every. Juncadella bumped into extra Code 60 zones throughout his stint than his team-mates and did not handle a sub-eight-minute lap.
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Gounon was caught in a battle with within the victorious #99 Rowe BMW who, due to an undercut, discovered Gounon on monitor. Despite the fact that it was not a “actual” battle, with the Rowe BMW set for a 40-seconds longer pit cease on the finish, each automobiles swapped positions a number of occasions.
Nonetheless, the hole underlining Verstappen’s standout world-class tempo is much more obvious when every driver’s private greatest laptime:
Max Verstappen – 7:53.552 Jules Gounon – 7:59.166 Dani Juncadella – 8:00.001
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Verstappen alone was accountable for the six quickest laps of the #3 Mercedes AMG GT3. Solely then does Gounon’s private greatest seem on the listing, with Verstappen additionally managing the automobile’s seventh-fastest lap (7:59.268).
These figures are spectacular, however additionally they spotlight the acquainted sample from F1. Gounon and Juncadella are among the many greatest within the AMG roster and have tons of of laps of Nordschleife expertise. Nonetheless, there may be an obvious hole to Verstappen.
Verstappen’s problem now will likely be to assist dial in a set-up that enables his team-mates to seek out the identical sub-8 minute consistency that he can obtain. Count on Winward to dive deep into the information earlier than the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
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#3 Mercedes-AMG Crew Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen
#3 Mercedes-AMG Crew Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen
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