“It was impressive to see how well he understood how to stay that close to Christopher. It was his first time ever having to race like that in a GT3 car on this track”, the 34-year old told\u00a0Motorsport.com Germany.<\/p>\n
Last year, on his NLS9 debut,\u00a0Verstappen simply won by gapping the field in clean air and showing impressive speed. This time, he impressed with his skills in his first-ever dogfight on the Nordschleife.<\/p>\n
“He actually did something quite special that we talked about after the race. It\u2019s something I would have never thought of myself\u2014and I\u2019ve been driving GT cars for a long time\u201d\u00a0Juncadella revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to tell you what it is as I\u2019d rather keep that to myself. It\u2019s a nice trick he found out. Maybe I\u2019ll tell you someday.”<\/p>\n
Verstappen paired his superior traffic management skills with his impressive speed, setting the six fastest lap times<\/a> of the #3\u00a0Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 during the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis.\u00a0<\/p>\n #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO: Max Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon<\/p>\n Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool<\/p>\n What makes his driving style so unique?<\/p>\n “It\u2019s not so much about his driving style; it\u2019s the sheer confidence that he has to jump into a car you barely know, on a track that demands absolute self-confidence. And he was on pace from Friday practice onwards and in the race as well,” Juncadella said.<\/p>\n While\u00a0Verstappen provided the fireworks, the Spaniard had the task of managing the lead during a stint filled with Code 60 zones. While the data shows Juncadella didn’t break the eight-minute barrier, the Spaniard isn’t worried about the lap times.<\/p>\n “There weren’t many fast laps in my stint because of the\u00a0neutralisations. But the car felt great. We didn’t really have to worry about the Audi anymore because Christopher\u2019s team-mate [Nico Hantke] was already in. He\u2019s a bit less experienced and needs some more laps”, he said.<\/p>\n By the time\u00a0Juncadella handed the car over to Jules Gounon, with whom he reunited after several years away from Mercedes, the Winward crew had built a comfortable 20 to 30-second gap.<\/p>\n Gounon then had to deal with the Rowe BMW, but that was down to different strategies as the #99 M4 GT3\u00a0Evo had to serve a 40 seconds longer pit stop at the end.<\/p>\n For\u00a0Juncadella, Verstappen\u2019s seamless transition to the Green Hell is partially credited to his thousands of virtual hours.<\/p>\n “His experience in sim racing gives him an edge. Through all those GT races online, he understands exactly how to race against others and how to read situations before they happen. It just shows how passionate he is about racing,” he said.<\/p>\n The #3 Mercedes was stripped of its victory due to a breach of the\u00a0tyre rules<\/a>, but left a clear mark for the 24-hour race in June.\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen and his team are set to return for the 24h Qualifiers <\/a>on April 18 and 19 ahead of the Nurburgring 24 Hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want your opinion!<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n![\"#3](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775524752_707_3-mercedes-amg-team-verstappen.jpg\")
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