Verstappen takes on first session ahead of 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers

GPblog is present trackside as the four-time world champion has returned to action on the famous German circuit this weekend for the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers. Alongside that, NLS4 and NLS5 also take place on the same weekend.

Max Verstappen is back driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 car after watching his team from the sidelines in the GT World Challenge Europe series. He is joined by Lucas Auer, while Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon are in Imola for the season-opening round of the World Endurance Championship.

The last time Verstappen competed at the Nordschleife, practice was already a good indicator that the Dutchman was poised to take pole position. The fastest lap time is not yet known on this occasion, as teams also had no live timing available.

George Russell was also asked about Verstappen's previous warnings of leaving the series behind. Speaking to a select group of media, including GPblog, he explained: "Well, Formula 1 is bigger than any driver. You wouldn’t want to lose Max, because I think we all enjoy racing against him."

Still, he would understand if the Dutchman decided to leave. "My goal is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I have four of them under my belt, I'll probably be doing the same. He’s in a very different stage of his career. And yeah, I think you'd understand if he stayed and you'd understand if he went," the Mercedes driver concluded.