P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The defending race winner and Max Verstappen were both beaten to top spot by the #80 Mercedes in the first Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifying session
In the first qualifying session for the Nurburgring 24 Hours, the #80 Ravenol Mercedes outpaced the defending race winner and Max Verstappen to secure the top spot. The lead grid positions for the race will be determined across three ‘top qualifying’ sessions, with the first session on Thursday offering early insights into the pecking order. Verstappen, driving the #3 Team Verstappen Mercedes, set an early benchmark time but was eventually beaten by Fabian Schiller in the #80 Mercedes. Raffaele Marciello of the #1 Rowe Racing entry claimed the second spot, leaving Team Verstappen in third. The session also saw an incident involving Alexander Hardt’s on-fire Porsche GT3 Cup car and the #146 WS Racing entry, driven by Carrie Schreiner. The top ten in the first qualifying session included Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ford, and Audi entries.
