Max Verstappen was involved in a frightening high-speed incident during the Nurburgring 24 Hours, making contact with his Mercedes teammate Maro Engel multiple times while battling for the lead. The collisions occurred along the Dottinger Straight, the fastest section of the notoriously challenging circuit, at speeds reaching 170mph.
Intense Battle for the Lead
Verstappen, driving the No. 3 Mercedes, and Engel in the No. 80 Mercedes, were fighting for first place through the night. Engel had led the early stages, but Verstappen closed to within a second. Despite narrowing the gap in the early hours of Sunday, Verstappen struggled to find a passing opportunity for over 20 minutes as Engel held firm lap after lap.
Eventually, the Dutchman made his move and seized the lead. However, Engel refused to give up, using the slipstream to draw level on the very next lap. As two backmarkers appeared ahead on the approach to Tiergarten, Verstappen positioned himself in the centre of the track, leaving Engel on the outside. The German ran out of room after several collisions between the two cars, causing him to slide off the track. He managed to retain control and rejoin the circuit unharmed, only losing a few seconds to Verstappen.
No Hard Feelings
The contact prompted one commentator to exclaim, "Oh. My. Word," but Engel had no grievances and relished the battle. Speaking shortly after the stint, he said: "I had a lot of fun with Max. Of course, the Nordschleife is special, a cool place, and driving through the night there with Max was really enjoyable. I hope we entertained the fans a bit. Those who were still awake certainly did the right thing by staying up to watch."
Verstappen's Endurance Racing Ambitions
Verstappen, who is thoroughly enjoying his debut in the endurance race, expressed his desire to compete annually. "The Nurburgring 24 Hours is one of the biggest races of the year, which is why we're here. We're racing with a professional line-up, and having me on board is really exciting. This is something I want to do every year - whether with one or more cars - and our main goal is to win races," he said.
The four-time Formula One world champion had previously spoken in March about his broader endurance racing ambitions. "All the big endurance races I want to do, it's something that when I was a kid, my dad was doing them. I don't need to be only an F1 driver; I can also do other things. I've done this already for a while, achieved everything I want to achieve, so that's why I want to explore other things, and I don't want to do them when I'm 40 years old; now is the perfect age to do it," Verstappen added.
