Verstappen teammate assesses dramatic wet-weather Nürburgring session

The Spanish driver took the wheel of the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 during Top Qualifying 3 and posted a fastest lap of 8:12.005, finishing just over eight-tenths of a second behind pole-sitter Luca Engstler. Juncadella, who was tasked with the final push for pole after Lucas Auer and Verstappen guided the team through Top Qualifying 1 and 2, respectively, described the session as a positive result overall.

“It was a very good day, I think, because ideally you want to start in the first five positions for the race, and we are P4. Of course, you always want to be on pole, but P4 is a great starting position for what is a very long race,” Juncadella said via Mercedes following the session.

The 35-year-old remained upbeat as he reflected on the outing, while also highlighting the challenges posed by the changing weather conditions throughout the session.

“The car seems competitive, teammates are in the right place as well. We did a good job through all the Q1 and Q2 sections, just fine-tuning a little bit here and there. It was a difficult session because it was very slippery in the beginning from the rain. But then on the last lap it was fully dry and, yeah, I could do a good lap and I’m happy with that for tomorrow,” he added.

Juncadella’s first run in Top Qualifying left him ninth, 6.8 seconds behind Marco Mapelli in the Red Bull Team ABT #130 Lamborghini. However, with a lighter fuel load on his second attempt, the Spaniard improved to provisional second before eventually dropping to fourth as the remaining drivers completed their laps. Pole position ultimately went to the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini driven by Engstler.

Earlier, Verstappen admitted he was pleased after helping his team secure a place in Top Qualifying 3 for the 24h Nürburgring. The Dutchman also reflected on the challenge of driving the circuit in wet conditions on Thursday night.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion entered the session aiming to finish inside the top seven and book a place in the final qualifying shootout. Verstappen achieved exactly that by recording the sixth-fastest time in Top Qualifying 2, paving the way for Juncadella’s eventual charge for pole position in Top Qualifying 3.

Want to stay up to date with the latest events from the F1 paddock? GPblog’s Paddock Update is the place to be.

Follow and subscribe to our channels on Spotify and YouTube so you don’t miss a scoop as the actions and reactions continue across the Formula 1 scene.

Check out the latest episode of our Paddock Update here 👇