Max Verstappen and his Verstappen Racing teammates were in almighty form on Saturday at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.<\/p>\n
As Verstappen<\/a> ramps up preparations for his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut, the four-time World Champion made a winning return to the \u2018Green Hell\u2019, playing a crucial role in his team\u2019s victory. It was one which saw Verstappen Racing lap the field. Verstappen enjoyed a thrilling early-race battle with veteran Christopher Haase.<\/p>\n Max Verstappen crushes his GT3 competition<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n On a free weekend for the Formula 1 drivers, Verstappen opted against putting his feet up, and instead headed for the Nordschleife, for the first N\u00fcrburgring Langstrecken-Serie [NLS] race in 2026.<\/p>\n Verstappen won here last year in his GT3 debut. He swapped Ferrari for Mercedes machinery this time, but it was a case of different car, same result.<\/p>\n Verstappen qualified on pole by two seconds at the Nordschleife with his 7:51.751. It was a disrupted session, with Verstappen dodging the \u2018code 60\u2019 orders to slow to get that time on the board.<\/p>\n The Verstappen Racing Mercedes GT3 therefore started from pole, with Verstappen at the wheel for the opening stint.<\/p>\n Verstappen treated a bumper viewing audience to a gripping battle with Christopher Haase in the Audi, who took the lead from Verstappen at the start.<\/p>\n Verstappen re-passed the veteran almost an hour into the four-hour race, a thrilling side-by-side dash into the esses which saw Verstappen emerge as the new leader.<\/p>\n More on Max Verstappen from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s the door\u2019 \u2013 Verstappen told to quit F1 over \u2018Mario Kart\u2019 criticism<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Brutal to watch\u2019 \u2013 Red Bull insider weighs in on Max Verstappen\u2019s \u2018big problem\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n As Verstappen\u2019s first stint came to a close, Dani Juncadella took over at the wheel of the Mercedes, with a lead of six seconds. He turned that into a critical stint behind the race win, which was to later be confirmed.<\/p>\n The Spaniard made way for Andorra\u2019s Jules Gounon for the next stint, with the Verstappen Racing Mercedes in a commanding position for the victory.<\/p>\n Heading into the final hour, the #3 Mercedes was leading by almost 40 seconds. With 43 minutes left on the clock, Verstappen got back in the car, looking to close this win out.<\/p>\n Verstappen had a 35-second lead to defend.<\/p>\n Defend, though, was not exactly what Verstappen had in mind. Instead, he continued to put distance between himself and second place, taking the lead over 50 seconds.<\/p>\n Verstappen took the chequered flag to win for his team by almost a minute.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n