Max Verstappen concluded his very first qualification in a GT3 vehicle on the Nordschleife with a third-place starting position. The Dutchman was initially on track for pole position during the early stages of the session, but due to traffic on the track, he was unable to beat the times of Christian Krognes and Frank Stippler in his final fast lap. As a result, Verstappen will start the race in third place, just three seconds slower than pole-starter Krognes.
The qualification on the ‘Green Hell’ was postponed early Saturday morning due to dense fog hanging over the circuit. Around 07:00 UTC, the GT vehicles were allowed to start the session. In his first flying lap, Verstappen immediately clocked an 8:46.694, making him 24 seconds faster than the second-place driver in his class.
However, the track got faster, and not only Verstappen but also his competitors were able to improve their times. In the end, the Formula 1 world champion finished third in his #31 Ferrari 296 GT3, with a time of 8:09.126. The pole position was claimed by Norwegian Christian Krognes.
Traffic
“It actually went quite well,” Verstappen said in the live broadcast from the Nürburgring. “Of course, setting the best time here is not easy. During my last lap, I got caught up in too much traffic, which prevented me from driving a good fast lap. The car is running well, though. This is my first time here, and it’s a shame about that last lap, but it’s part of the game.” For the race, Verstappen – naturally – has the highest achievable goal in mind: winning. “We can certainly do it, but we’ll see how it pans out during the race.”
