Nürburgring 24 Hours, 16 Hour Report: Verstappen charges with Mercedes in control
The Nürburgring 24 Hours continues as Max Verstappen stamps his authority on the race.
Team Verstappen remains in control of the Nürburgring 24 Hours as the race entered its final third.
The squad survived a scare through the night with Max Verstappen at the wheel before stretching its legs as dawn broke to inch clear of the #80 Mercedes in second place.
Max Verstappen in control at Nordschleife after overnight scare
As the sun rose over the Nordschleife, Lucas Auer was at the wheel of the #3 Mercedes AMG GT3.
He took over from Jules Gounon who in turn had replaced Verstappen through a busy night highlighted by a battle between the Dutchman and Maro Engel.
It was a nail-biting encounter that saw Engel off the track at high speed as they squabbled over the race lead.
The two Mercedes, both run out by Winward Racing, have been in firm control of the race since the second stint when Verstappen powered into the lead.
From there, the race at the front settled down as the #3 began to inch clear, holding a 20-second advantage with eight hours remaining.
Earlier, an oil spill at Aremberg saw a host of cars off the road, the leaders escaping without drama though a host of runners found themselves bouncing through the gravel.
Behind the leading Mercedes, third place remains a battle between the #99 BMW M4 GT3 and the #34 Aston Martin Vantage, the pair swapping positions several times.
In fifth is the SPX-class BMW M3 Touring, a one-off estate M3 estate car that features M4 running gear.
Nürburgring 24 Hours Results: Top 10 after 16 hours
1. #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Auer) LAP 102
2. #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Schiller) 14.898
3. #34 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO (Krognes) LAP 101
4. #99 BMW M4 GT3 EVO (Harper) 0.619
5. #81 BMW M3 Touring 24h (de Wilde) 25.102
6. #84 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 (Engstler) 27.215
7. #24 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 (Heinrich) 2:24.740
8. #54 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 (Christensen) LAP 100
9. #26 Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Lulham) 2:54.978
10. #11 Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Ellis) 3:37.876
View the full results here.
Watch the Nürburgring 24 Hours live stream on PlanetF1.com.
