News and quotes after the finish

Maro Engel confidently secured the victory for the #80 RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG, marking Mercedes-AMG’s first win since 2016 and his second overall victory. The battle for second went right down to the wire: despite a time penalty, the Abt Lamborghini #84 held on, while the Walkenhorst Aston Martin #34 completed the podium in third.

#24 Heinrich / Vanthoor / Feller (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)

3:11 p.m. - finishes as the leading Porsche in sixth place

#34 Krognes / Drudi / Thiim / Fernandez Laser (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO)

2:53 p.m. - On slicks, Bortolotti is losing more and more time to the cars behind on cut slicks. With the time penalty still to be added, Drudi is provisionally up into second place.

2:59 p.m. - Mattia Drudi has started his final lap and, as things stand, would move into second.

3:07 p.m. - delayed by traffic and now running in third

3:09 p.m. - Mattia Drudi loses too much time in traffic. The Walkenhorst Aston Martin has to settle for third place.

3:21 p.m. - Nicki Thiim: "I’m completely surprised. It’s a shame it didn’t turn into second place because of the Code 60 shortly before the finish. But that’s racing. What a show. This race was a lot of fun."

#61 Adelson / Arnold / Green / Van der Zande (HWA EVO.R)

2:53 p.m. - Leaves the pit to cheers

#80 Engel / Stolz / Schiller / Martin (Mercedes-AMG GT3)

2:56 p.m. - Maro Engel crosses the finish line and starts his final lap.

3:05 p.m. - The RAVENOL Mercedes wins the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring after a superb comeback drive. It is Maro Engel’s second victory in the endurance classic, while his team-mates celebrate their first. For Mercedes, it is the brand’s first win since 2016.

3:17 p.m. - Luca Stolz: "Thank God the pressure is gone now. Back on top after ten years. We knew we had what it takes. A brilliant day."

3:18 p.m. - Maro Engel: "That wasn’t the weather I had hoped for in the final half hour, but that’s the Nürburgring. Many thanks to the team for preparing the car perfectly again after my mistake. I also feel sorry for the sister car. I think both cars were very fast. After ten years, we’re back on top. We worked for so long and it just never seemed to come together. I’m also happy for Christian Hohenadel and to take this victory together with him as team manager."

3:20 p.m. - Maxime Martin: "It was my 15th time here at the Nürburgring. I had already finished second three times, and now I finally did it. A dream come true for me. My father won here, and now I have too. Fantastic."

#81 Klingmann / de Wilde / de Phillippi / Verhagen (BMW M3 Touring 24h)

3:11 p.m. - The BMW Touring - originally launched as an April Fool’s joke – delivers a sensational fifth place, finishing just behind its brand team-mates in the #99 Harper / Hesse / Van der Linde / Vanthoor (BMW M4 GT3 EVO).

#84 Engstler / Bortolotti / Niederhauser (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)

2:51 p.m. - Bortolotti is racing against the clock. The Abt Lamborghini still has a 1:24-minute time penalty to be added, so he needs at least that margin over Mattia Drudi in the #34 Krognes / Drudi / Thiim / Fernandez Laser (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO).

2:58 p.m. - Mirko Bortolotti begins his final lap. Will the gap be enough to hold on to second place?

3:06 p.m. - Mirko Bortolotti reaches the finish line, but the wait continues...

3:08 p.m. - It is just enough for the Abt team. The Kempten-based squad snatches second place in the closing moments.

3:22 p.m. - Mirko Bortolotti: "Today is a big day for Abt, everyone worked so hard for it. This is a day you always remember. It wasn’t the win, but it’s an incredible result when you see where we were after the first lap."

3:22 p.m. - For Martin Tomczyk, this was his final race as Team Abt’s team manager.

#569 Van’t veer / Baller / de Bruijn / Gaukler (BMW 328i*)

2:49 p.m. - heads out of the pits

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