After Daniel Juncadella got the action underway in the endurance race, which will only come to an end tomorrow at 3 PM, the four-time world champion can be pleased with what he delivered during his double stint, climbing through the order with a string of overtakes before taking the race lead.

The Dutchman carved his way through the field from 10th to first, extending his lead to as much as 23 seconds over the car behind by the time he came in for his pit stop. The #3 car is currently running second on track at the time of writing, but is effectively leading once the rest of the field completes their stops.

The Dutchman also had a big scary moment during his stint, losing the car before managing to catch it just in time to avoid slamming into the barriers, and was then able to continue without any major consequences.

With the first four hours now in the books, the Nürburgring 24 Hours still has another 20 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.

Speaking to the media after his opening stint, Verstappen said he was pleased with how things had gone, especially after having to work his way through traffic early on before the worsening weather conditions helped make the difference. The Dutchman explained that once he managed to clear a few cars, the slippery conditions allowed him to build a stronger pace advantage, while also praising the car’s balance throughout the stint. He admitted it was not easy to find the right compromise between pushing on the limit and staying out of trouble, but felt everything ultimately worked out well.

Verstappen also reflected on the scary moment he experienced during the stint, revealing he had turned in slightly too early before losing the rear of the car. However, the four-time world champion managed to keep the car out of the barriers and continue without major consequences, stressing the importance of staying calm and immediately refocusing.

The Dutchman then turned his attention to the hours ahead, explaining that the challenge would not only come from night running, but also from the unpredictable weather conditions expected to affect the race over the coming hours.