Max Verstappen received important help before the start of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. The race organizers announced changes to the Balance of Performance (BoP), a system used in endurance racing to balance the performance of the cars.
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The Dutchman’s team will start from fourth position on the grid, behind Lamborghinis #84 and #130, which occupy the front row. After the Top Qualifying results, the organization decided to apply new technical adjustments that directly benefited the Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Verstappen’s team.
The BoP works by adding extra weight or reducing power of the more competitive cars to balance the competition. This time, Lamborghini and Porsche received an additional five kilograms, while BMW was penalized even more with an increase of ten kilograms.
In addition to the weight increase, Lamborghini also suffered a power reduction. The engine restrictor was reduced by half a millimeter, limiting the car’s performance. Ford also had changes, with a reduction of one millimeter in one of the restrictors of the dual system used by the brand.
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While the rivals underwent modifications, Mercedes escaped any adjustment before the race. This increases the competitive potential of the car used by Verstappen’s team, especially because the direct competitors got closer to the minimum weight of the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Even being one of the heaviest cars in the SP9 class, at 1,355 kg, the Mercedes now sees BMW and Lamborghini approaching this value after the adjustments applied by the organization. BMW now runs at 1,350 kg, while the Lamborghinis reach 1,335 kg, a scenario that could help Verstappen and his team in the fight for victory in the traditional German race.
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