Max Verstappen’s team will start Saturday’s 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring from P4, after co-driver Dani Juncadella set a lap of 8:12.005 in Top Qualifying 3 on Friday afternoon for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. Pole went to Luca Engstler in the #84 Lamborghini Red Bull Team ABT.
The four-time F1 world champion – joined by Juncadella, Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon – takes on a deep field of GT veterans on his 24H Nürburgring debut in the team’s distinctive blue-and-red Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Verstappen himself was sixth fastest in Top Qualifying 2 on Friday morning, having confirmed his place the day before with a third-fastest run in Thursday’s timed session. His arrival has drawn unprecedented attention to the race, with weekend passes selling out for the first time in the event’s history.
Pole position went to Luca Engstler with Red Bull Team ABT in the #84 car, heading a Lamborghini front-row lockout alongside teammate Marco Mapelli in the #130. Christopher Haase’s Audi will line up third ahead of Verstappen Racing on the second row. “I think the key was to leave the brain in the garage, and go full send,” said Engstler. “I was just trying to squeeze every bit out, and in the end, it worked out.”
Conditions brought another layer to Thursday’s running. Verstappen took to the Nordschleife in the dark for the first time, with heavy rain making for treacherous conditions on a circuit already known as the ‘Green Hell’. More changeable weather is forecast across the weekend, with overnight temperatures expected to drop as low as three degrees.
“It was my first time driving in the night. It was probably the worst conditions that you could hope for,” Verstappen said. “But it was good for me, for my eyes, to get used to the darkness. And it felt right. The car has felt good the whole time we’ve been driving here. We have a lot of competition, which in general is great for everyone. But it’s been fun.”
Co-driver Dani Juncadella, whose lap put the team on the second row, was pleased with where the day ended up: “It was a very good day. Ideally, you want to start in the first five positions for the race, and we are P4. You always want to be on pole, but P4 is a great starting position for what is a very long race.”
When asked which of the four drivers the car had been set up around, co-driver Lucas Auer replied: “To be honest, all four, which is difficult but important, as everybody needs to perform. We have no safety cars here, so whatever you lose, you really lose. You cannot gain back just by pure speed. So, I believe we found a very solid base, and everybody is happy with that.”
Heading into his first 24-hour race, Verstappen is clear on what matters: “Staying out of trouble. You don’t want to pick up any kind of damage early on. You want to keep the car in one piece, and also make the difference in the traffic. And then it’s between the drivers, keeping good information in case there is the changing weather. Keeping the car on track, and then trying to maximise the pace from the car.”
The 54th edition of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring starts at 15:00 CEST on Saturday 16 May. Watch live on Red Bull TV and Verstappen’s onboard view on the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.
