Nurburg, May 15 (IANS) India’s Arjun Maini delivered an impressive performance, driving for the Haupt Racing Team (HRT) Ford Performance, in Qualifying 2 for the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, finishing ahead of four-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen on the timesheets in one of the most competitive GT3 fields in world motorsport.

Competing in the headline SP9 category, Maini clocked an 8:11.278 lap in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 during the second qualifying session at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Indian driver ended the session fourth overall in SP9, ahead of Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry, which posted an 8:11.614 lap.

The result came in a packed 161-car field at the iconic endurance classic, which features more than 20 classes; one of the most diverse grids in global motorsport. This year’s edition also marks the event’s largest starting grid in over a decade.

“It’s always special to be competitive at the Nürburgring because the level here is incredibly high. The SP9 field is stacked with factory drivers and top teams, so to put together a lap like that feels really satisfying. The car felt strong throughout the session and we’ve been making good progress with the setup. There’s still work to do before the race, but it’s definitely a positive start for us,” Arjun Maini commented.

Maini, along with teammates Fabio Scherer, David Schumacher and Frank Stippler, is contesting the Nürburgring 24 Hours with HRT, a team he joined during its transition from Mercedes-AMG machinery to Ford’s new Mustang GT3 programme. The Indian racer has been part of Ford’s GT3 journey from the outset as a factory driver, with 2025 also marking the debut season of the Mustang GT3 Evo package.

Speaking ahead of the event, Maini highlighted the challenge and excitement of building a new programme with Ford and HRT.

“It’s cool because I did it together with them as well. I joined Ford as a factory driver, and it’s been good to be on this journey. It’s always a risk when you leave such a set system and a car that works in this. But again, for me and for the team, it was quite a cool challenge: to be given the opportunity to run such a cool car around Europe in amazing championships has been special. We were stronger than expected, and I think we’re ready to build on that this year,” he added.

The Nurburgring 24 Hours now heads into its remaining qualifying session before the twice-around-the-clock endurance race begins this weekend at the legendary Nordschleife, where Maini and HRT Ford Performance will look to convert their strong pace into a standout result against some of the biggest names in global GT racing.

–IANS

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