ON BOARD | Watch the Nürburgring 24H through Max Verstappen's car

Verstappen delivered one of the standout stints of the Nürburgring 24 Hours so far after taking over the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Daniel Juncadella. The Dutchman wasted little time moving through the field, producing a series of aggressive overtakes to bring the car from 10th position all the way to the race lead.

The four-time world champion quickly established a comfortable margin at the front, stretching the gap to over 20 seconds before eventually handing the car over during the next pit sequence. Despite dropping behind temporarily after the stops, the #3 entry remained effectively in control once the different strategies played out across the field.

Verstappen’s stint was not entirely drama-free, however. The Red Bull driver suffered a major snap in tricky conditions and came dangerously close to the barriers, although he managed to keep the car pointing in the right direction and avoid any serious consequences before continuing his charge at the front.

With the first four hours now in the books, the Nürburgring 24 Hours still has another 19 hours of action to go before the drivers finally see the chequered flag. You can follow all the LIVE action from the race here. For minute-by-minute updates, you can follow all the key moments from the Nürburgring 24 Hours here, including updates directly from the pit lane courtesy of our reporter Shanna Lutgert.

After stepping out of the car following his first stint, Verstappen expressed satisfaction with how the race had unfolded so far, particularly after battling his way through heavy traffic during the opening phase. The Dutchman felt the changing conditions played into his hands, with the increasingly slippery track allowing him to make up ground and create a stronger rhythm at the front. He also praised the behaviour of the car throughout the run, highlighting how important it was to remain aggressive while still avoiding mistakes in such tricky conditions.

During the stint, Verstappen also survived a tense moment after briefly losing control of the car. The four-time world champion explained that a small error on corner entry nearly ended in disaster, although he managed to gather the car up before any contact with the barriers and continued without damage. Looking ahead, Verstappen admitted the race is only expected to become more difficult as darkness approaches, with unstable weather conditions likely to play a major role over the coming hours at the Nürburgring.