First Max Verstappen laptimes emerge ahead of latest Nürburgring race

Max Verstappen has qualified third for his GT3 racing debut at the Nurburgring this weekend, with the race set to take place later on Saturday.

Verstappen is driving for Emil Frey Racing in a Ferrari 296 GT3 on Saturday, alongside Team Redline teammate Chris Lulham, as the pair upgrade from their detuned GT4 machinery a fortnight ago.

Max Verstappen to start third in four-hour Nurburgring outing

Having earned the appropriate licence in a four-hour event at the ‘Green Hell’ two weeks ago, Verstappen and Lulham have teamed up again to step up to GT3 machinery this time around.

The reigning World Champion had set the early pace in qualifying on a dewy morning in Germany, setting an 8:46 while others set banker laps beyond the nine-minute mark, though the circuit was damp in the early stages of the session.

Lap times would tumble as the session progressed, however, with other drivers first reeling in the 27-year-old’s time, before Verstappen improved to an 8:37 around the fearsome circuit, and others were made to catch up once again.

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The #54 machine of DTM youngster Bastian Buus and World Endurance champion in the LMGT3 class, Joel Sturm, was the first to get ahead of Verstappen’s benchmark as the session progressed, but there was more lap time to be found.

A clutch of cars were able to get closer to the 8:10 mark before Verstappen went fastest again on an 8:09.126 – a full two minutes faster than he managed in the detuned Porsche GT4 Cayman he piloted last time out.

His time would be beaten, however, with the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport car set to start on pole ahead of the #8 Juta Racing machine, though Verstappen and Lulham will be in contention for outright victory in the Pro class in the latest four-hour race at the Nurburgring on Saturday afternoon.

The four-time World Champion addressed his “dream” of competing in the circuit’s 24-hour race in future, with the Red Bull driver having gained valuable track time around the Nurburgring in recent weeks.

“It went well,” Verstappen said after qualifying.

“On the intermediates, it went super well, and the balance in the car is also excellent.

“There was a lot of traffic on the track, of course, so finding the right moment to set a fast lap wasn’t easy.

“When we were on slicks, I had too much traffic on my last lap to really get a good time. But the car is running well and the tyres are good, so it should be fine during the race.

“The speed differences with so many different cars are obviously huge. There was only one dry line, so I was pushing the limits in some corners. But I’m enjoying it.”

When asked if he was going for the race win, he added: “Yes, that’s our goal, and it’s within our reach. But we’ll see.”

The race takes place from 12pm CEST (11am UK), with Verstappen and Lulham set to share driving duties over the course of four hours.

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