Formula 1 follows a hectic start for Max Verstappen at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. After the first hour of the race, the Dutchman’s Mercedes AMG-GT3 was in third position amid a start marked by incidents and penalties.
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The teams tried to gain positions quickly taking advantage of the dry track, as the forecast points to rain for the next hours of the race. And right at the start, the two Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Huracán GT3s, which monopolized the front row, faced significant problems.
Car #84, which started on pole position with Mirko Bortolotti, suffered a tire puncture even before leaving the Grand Prix circuit section and had to stop. Shortly after, Lamborghini #130, which took the lead with Marco Mapelli, received a 32-second penalty for jump start.
Daniel Juncadella started the race in the Mercedes shared with Verstappen and placed the car among the top positions in the first seven laps. The Spaniard also went through tense moments right at the beginning, touching the rear of Lamborghini #84 and then partially going off onto the grass, briefly dropping to fourth place before recovering.
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Verstappen took the wheel just before the one-hour mark of the race, with the car occupying third overall. The race also had incidents involving other favorites, such as Dan Harper, who spun his BMW M4 GT3 still on the first lap and dropped to the back of the SP9 class.
Another highlight of the start of the race was the huge pace difference between the SP9 cars and the slower categories of the grid. The leaders quickly began to catch backmarkers, a scenario intensified by the staggered start system divided into three groups. The race ends at 10 a.m. this Sunday, Brasília time.
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