Max Verstappen has stormed into the lead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours following an incredible double stint, which saw the Dutchman pull off two outstanding overtakes.
Dani Juncadella started the race for #3 Team Verstappen Racing from fourth on the grid, before handing the car over to Verstappen at the close of the first hour.
Through various strategies from other teams, Verstappen returned to the track in 10th place. The four-time world champion then embarked on a two-hour mission.
His stint began with a hair-raising moment after he almost lost control of his Mercedes-AMG GT3 and only just managed to avoid the barriers.
Soon after he grabbed the limelight again, but in the right way. In breathtaking fashion, he passed the #47 KCMG of Jesse Krohn. Moments later, he garnered praise again with a good pull-out move on the #911 Manthey Racing of DTM champion Ayhancan Güven.
In the meantime, things went terribly Thierry Vermeulen. The Dutchman of #45 Realize Kondo Racing had only just started his first stint when he ran into a Porsche Cayman. He tried to pass it, but made contact with the other car, after which he crashed hard and destroyed his Ferrari 296 GT3.
The race of the #16 Scherer Sport PHX also came to an end. Alex Sims got into a chain collision after confusion over a code 60 zone, with the entire front of the car being crushed.
Verstappen, meanwhile, continued to look forward. He was in third place after nearly three hours of driving, but had the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin and the #67 HRT Ford Racing Ford in his sights.
With a fabulous double overtake, he managed to overtake both competitors in succession. In doing so, he took over the lead of the race and thrilled the crowd.
After two stints of seven laps, it was time for Verstappen to take a well-deserved break. He was relieved by Jules Gounon, who drove back onto the track in front.
View the double overtaking for the lead of the race below!
