Watch: Max Verstappen racing in Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifier

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen sees his preparations for the Nurburgring 24 Hours step up a level as he takes part in a qualifier race at the Nordschleife on Saturday.

The Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car of Verstappen and teammate Lucas Auer will start today’s race from ninth after incurring a post-qualifying grid penalty.

Watch Max Verstappen in action as he returns to the Nurburgring

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The pair originally qualified sixth, but were hit with a three-place grid drop after Auer made contact while attempting to overtake another car during qualifying on Saturday morning.

The race is set to begin at 1730 local time on Saturday evening.

Verstappen will participate in two separate four-hour races over the course of this weekend as he prepares to take on the Nurburgring 24 Hours, one of the most iconic events in motorsport, next month.

This weekend’s qualifiers were originally set to clash with F1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix before the Jeddah event was cancelled, opening the door for Verstappen to add some extra competitive running at the Nurburgring to his schedule before the big race.

Watch how Verstappen gets on in the livestream below…

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