Max Verstappen wins in GT3 Debut as India's Akshay Gupta battles to P4 in class at Nurburgring

New Delhi [India], September 29 (ANI): Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen made headlines on Saturday by winning on his GT3 debut at the Nurburgring, while Indian endurance racer Akshay Gupta fought through a dramatic race to finish 4th in the VT2-F+4WD class at the 9th round of the ADAC Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS).
Racing for STENLE Marketing Mertens Motorsport in the Hyundai i30N, 32-year-old Gupta showcased resilience and pace despite setbacks that cost the team a likely podium.
Qualifying was delayed by heavy morning fog, and the drying track conditions left Gupta's team only 6th in class and 67th overall on the grid, despite having the pace to fight for pole. Determined to make up ground, Gupta took the race start and delivered a strong opening stint, climbing to 4th in class before handing the car to 18-year-old German ADAC talent Darian Donkel.
On lap 9, Donkel suffered a spectacular 360-degree spin at 250 km/h, narrowly avoiding the barriers at Tiergarten corner but flat-spotting the tyres. The incident forced an unscheduled extra pit stop and dropped the team back to 5th place. Despite losing over 2 minutes 30 seconds to the leaders, the crew regrouped and mounted a spirited recovery drive.
Ultimately, the 491 Hyundai finished 4th in class, just 2 minutes 20 seconds behind the winning Audi S3, in a competitive field that also included the Cupra Leon and another Hyundai i30N. A total of 10 cars competed in VT2-F+4WD, with 21 combined entries across the VT2 categories.
Speaking after the race, Gupta said as quoted by NLS 9 press release, "I am disappointed with a 4th place when we had the pace to win, but we gave it our all. We have room to improve--from our qualifying strategy to race execution--and we've got one race remaining. So far this year, we haven't managed a win, whereas last year we secured two. It's been a tough season, but we want to turn that around in the finale."
Meanwhile, Verstappen lined up in the SP9-PRO GT3 category driving the #31 Ferrari 296 GT3 alongside Chris Lulham. Despite a smaller field with only four entries, Verstappen's victory on the demanding Nordschleife "Green Hell" underlined his versatility--arriving fresh from back-to-back F1 wins and immediately delivering success in endurance racing.
Earlier in 2025, Gupta secured podiums at both the Dubai 24 Hours and the Nurburgring 24 Hours, underlining his emergence as one of India's most promising international endurance racers. His focus now shifts to the final round of the NLS season, where he aims to close the year on a high.
In addition to the NLS season finale, Gupta will also be testing an Aston Martin GT4 car with a new team during the next round. This marks the beginning of a series of planned test programs, as Gupta evaluates multiple teams and machinery to finalise his endurance racing program for 2026. (ANI)