Krognes Challenges Verstappen‘s Qualifying Lead at Nürburgring
Nürburgring, Germany – September 27, 2025 – Christian Krognes is mounting a challenge to Max Verstappen’s dominant qualifying time at the Nürburgring, following a series of rapid laps this morning. Verstappen initially set a blistering pace of 8:37.818 minutes, over 20 seconds faster than any other competitor, but Krognes, along with Frank Stippler, are attempting to close the gap.
Earlier today,Verstappen switched to slick tires for a final qualifying attack. Shortly after, a Code 60 was initiated when the Sorg-BMW #514 (Peters/Feldner-Feldegg/”Matt”) experienced a technical issue and was towed. The track was cleared and racing resumed after approximately two minutes.
Despite the interruption, Verstappen initially established a critically important lead, 24.249 seconds ahead of the next fastest time. Frank Stippler’s first rapid lap in the HRT-Ford #6 (Stippler/kolb) clocked in at 9:04.509 minutes, 17.815 seconds slower than Verstappen’s benchmark. Thomas Kiefer,driving the Huber-Porsche #25 (Wehrmann/Thyssen/Kiefer),also fell short,finishing 11.895 seconds behind the Formula 1 champion.
Verstappen’s initial time of 8:46.694 minutes was expected to be improved upon, as it remained substantially faster than competitors. The current course record stands at 7:49.578 minutes.
