Dani Juncadella puts Max Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG fourth on the grid after dramatic Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying battle
Max Verstappen’s bid for Nürburgring 24 Hours glory remains firmly alive after Team Verstappen Racing secured fourth place in the final Top Qualifying 3 shootout ahead of this weekend’s legendary endurance race.
After successfully guiding the Mercedes-AMG GT3 into the decisive session during Top Qualifying 2, Verstappen handed over driving duties to experienced GT ace Dani Juncadella for the final pole-position battle around the fearsome Nordschleife.
While pole position ultimately went to the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini, Juncadella delivered a composed and competitive lap to place the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry fourth overall — less than a second away from the front in one of the most competitive Nürburgring qualifying sessions in recent memory.
The Spaniard stopped the clock just 0.882s behind the pole-setting Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 driven by the #84 Red Bull Team ABT crew of Luca Engstler, Mirko Bortolotti and Patric Niederhauser.
A second ABT Lamborghini secured an impressive one-two for the Italian manufacturer, with the #130 machine finishing 0.345s adrift of pole, while ROWE Racing’s #16 BMW M4 GT3 EVO split the Lamborghinis and Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG in third.
For Verstappen, merely reaching the final shootout represented a significant achievement. The Dutchman had openly described qualifying for the decisive session as an “incredibly tough” target given the depth of the SP9 field and the unforgiving nature of the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Now, Team Verstappen enters the 24-hour marathon from the second row of the grid with genuine ambitions of fighting at the sharp end.
The line-up combines elite GT experience with Verstappen’s growing endurance racing credentials, featuring Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer alongside the four-time Formula 1 world champion.
Although narrowly denied a front-row start, the result places the Verstappen-backed Mercedes-AMG firmly within striking distance for a race where traffic management, reliability and changing weather conditions often prove more decisive than outright qualifying pace.
The session itself highlighted Lamborghini’s formidable one-lap speed around the Green Hell, with ABT locking out the top two spots in a major statement ahead of the race start.
Elsewhere, Ford’s returning Mustang GT3 programme endured a more difficult outing, with the HRT entries qualifying seventh and 12th respectively, while Manthey Racing’s highly fancied Porsche 911 GT3 R could only manage eighth.
With more than 24 kilometres of narrow tarmac, changing grip levels and over 100 cars expected to tackle the event, grid position is only one part of the challenge awaiting the field.
But after surviving the pressure of qualifying and placing themselves firmly among the frontrunners, Verstappen and Team Verstappen Racing head into the Nürburgring 24 Hours with momentum — and perhaps a realistic shot at one of endurance racing’s most prestigious victories.