Max Verstappen stormed into the lead after the race start at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, making a bold move into turn 1.
The four-time world champion started from P3 in the Ferrari GT3 car from Emil Frey Racing after qualifying, and immediately showed why he’s considered one of racing’s elite talents.
Taking full advantage of the rolling start, Verstappen carried incredible momentum into the first corner. He braked later than everyone else, sweeping around the outside to snatch the lead in dramatic fashion.
And he didn’t look back.
Just 20 minutes into the race, the Dutchman had already built a comfortable five-second gap over his competitors.
The domination continued as the race progressed. By the 45-minute mark, Verstappen had completed five laps of the challenging Nordschleife circuit and stretched his advantage to an impressive 11 seconds.
It was a masterclass in racing from the 27-year-old.
When the time came for the first pit stop in this four-hour endurance test, Verstappen brought the Ferrari in for fresh rubber before heading back out for his second stint.
His rivals also made their scheduled stops.
But the gap only grew larger. After the pit stop sequence, Verstappen maintained his lead and increased it to a commanding 23 seconds over the rest of the field.
The competition simply had no answer for his pace today.
