GT3 News: Verstappen Wins in GT3 Race Debut on the Nurburgring Nordschleife
Max Verstappen (pictured), the four-time Formula 1 world champion, made a stunning GT3 debut, clinching overall victory alongside co-driver Chris Lulham in the 57th ADAC Barbarossa Prize, an NLS round at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Verstappen has just become the first active Formula 1 driver this year to win a full-length race in a Ferrari car.
Piloting the No. 31 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, the duo secured a commanding 24.496-second win over the No. 9 Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3, driven by Jann Mardenborough, who returned to GT3 racing at the Nordschleife for the first time since his tragic 2015 accident that claimed a spectator’s life.
Verstappen set the tone early, starting third but seizing the lead by the first corner of the four-hour race. His dominant opening double stint built a lead of over a minute ahead of the No. 6 HRT Mustang GT3, driven by Frank Stippler. After handing the Verstappen.com-sponsored Ferrari to Lulham past the halfway mark, the team maintained their advantage, though Lulham lost some time after the final pit stop, likely due to Code 60 neutralizations, narrowing the gap.
The No. 6 Mustang GT3, piloted by Frank Stippler and Patrick Kolb, took third. Stippler charged from 11th to second on the opening lap, holding the position until Fetzer overtook Kolb on the Döttinger Höhe with 53 minutes remaining, with Mardenborough emerging from the final pit cycle 28 seconds ahead.
The No. 22 Max Kruse Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, running sustainable fuel for the first time on the Nordschleife, claimed fourth overall. Benjamin Leuchter nearly snatched a podium, finishing just 0.517 seconds behind Kolb. The SP9 Pro-Am class was won by Walkenhorst Motorsport’s No. 34 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, which Christian Krognes qualified on pole with an 8:06.057 lap, finishing fifth overall.
Mühlner Motorsport’s No. 921 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup took CUP2 honors in sixth overall, beating the No. 948 48 LOSCH Motorsport by BLACK FALCON entry by over a minute. The SP9 Am class saw the No. 786 Renazzo Motorsport Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 finish eighth overall, ahead of the No. 21 Ferrari driven solo by 65-year-old Klaus Abbelen. Abbelen, in his final Nordschleife race, completed the four-hour event alone after failing to do so in his planned retirement race two weeks prior.
The No. 54 Dinamic GT Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Joel Sturm and Bastian Buus, was a pre-race favorite but missed the start due to mechanical issues, joining late and finishing 93rd overall after multiple unscheduled pit stops.
Notably, 65-year-old Frikadelli Racing owner/driver Klaus Abbelen drove solo in his GT3 Ferrari to a remarkable tenth-place finish in his final Nordschleife race, marking a poignant farewell to the iconic circuit.
