Max Verstappen experienced one of the tensest moments of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring during the early hours of this Sunday. The four-time Formula 1 champion was involved in a heavy touch with Maro Engel while the two were battling for the lead of the German race.
Read more F1: Verstappen leads Nürburgring after eight hours of racing
The incident happened in the 11th hour of the race, amid total darkness on the Nordschleife circuit. Even after the high-speed contact, both managed to avoid a serious accident and continued fighting for the top positions.
Verstappen took the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 around 1:30 AM and quickly caught up with Engel, who was leading the race with the Mercedes #80. After a few laps pressuring his rival, the Dutchman used the slipstream on the Döttinger Höhe straight to overtake on the outside before the last sequence of corners on the track.
The Formula 1 driver managed to open about a 1.5-second gap, but Engel reacted on the next lap and started pressuring Verstappen again. The two entered the straight almost side by side as they approached slower cars in the Tiergarten area. At that moment, Engel tried to overtake on the outside while Verstappen also changed trajectory to avoid traffic.
Read more F1: Button cites insecurity in motorsport: «You lose more than you gain»
The two Mercedes touched side by side at approximately 270 km/h, causing Engel to run off onto the grass before the Hohenrain chicane. Despite the huge scare, the driver managed to control the car and avoid a stronger crash, returning to the track still in second position.
At the halfway point of the race, Verstappen was leading the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with the Winward Racing Mercedes, while the team’s second car was right behind. The BMW M4 GT3 #99 was in third, more than five minutes behind the leaders.
Read more German Porsche Cup: Matheus Ferreira wins podium with third place in Spa
