Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the upcoming four-hour endurance race around the Nordschleife.
The Dutchman is taking part in the race as he prepares for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in May.
For the shorter event this weekend, Verstappen is sharing his Mercedes GT3 car with Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.
Juncadella kicked off qualifying practice on behalf of Verstappen Racing and immediately recorded an 8:01.3, which was good for the fastest time at the time.
Not much later, however, the #40 Porsche crashed into the wall, resulting in a Code 60. On the Nordschleife, this means that drivers are allowed to drive a maximum of 60 kilometres per hour in a certain section to ensure safety.
Verstappen jumped behind the wheel for the first time at that point. The Dutchman drove several installation laps, but did not improve Juncadella’s fastest lap time. Soon, he handed the wheel over to Jules Gounon.
In the end, lap times went down considerably. The #16 Audi of Christopher Haase and Nico Hantke clocked a 7:53. Gounon did not improve team Verstappen’s time, but handed the wheel back to his Dutch colleague in the closing stages.
Verstappen was allowed to hunt for a faster time and did just that. The Dutchman immediately drove an impressive 7:51, making him two seconds faster than the rest of the field.
No one would improve their time due to another Code 60. Verstappen Racing will thus start the race from pole. His lead over the rest of the field is particularly impressive.