Verstappen's teammate hails fiery opening stint in Nürburgring 24h race

The Spanish driver, who took the start for the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG team, said he was particularly pleased with how his race began, revealing that his plan to adopt an aggressive approach early on worked in his favour.

“I had a really good start, actually. The car felt ready, the warm-up was good, so I was ready to fight my way forward at the start. I had a really good start, that’s why I thought it’s time to be a bit more aggressive. But once I overtook the Audi, to be fair, at the line, I just wanted to stay patient behind the Lambos,” Juncadella said to Mercedes.

Reflecting on the incident involving Luca Engstler, the 35-year-old insisted there was no intention to cause contact, describing it as a very minor touch.

Juncadella also expressed sympathy for the Lamborghini driver, who was forced into an early pit stop as a result of the damage sustained.

Juncadella, who started the race in fourth, briefly climbed to second place before a small off-track moment, running over the grass, dropped him back down the order to fourth. He would later hand over to Verstappen, who continued the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG team’s charge at the Nordschleife.

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