One of Max Verstappen's competitors in the NLS2 race at the Nordschleife has taken to social media following an intense battle with the four-time world champion.
Christopher Haase, who was part of the #16 Audi crew, joined Verstappen on the front row and even overtook the Red Bull driver for the lead.
During the opening stint, the pair were in a league of their own and engaged in an intense battle for first place while also navigating traffic.
At times, the duo came incredibly close to making contact, yet the fight remained clean throughout, finally ending when both pitted for a driver change.
Verstappen, in his Mercedes-AMG GT3, overtook Haase moments before pitting and eventually won the race, before later being disqualified for using too many sets of tyres.
As for Haase and the #16 crew, they ultimately finished sixth, just over 30 seconds behind the winner.
However, fans flooded social media with comments praising Haase for his fight with Verstappen, in what was the highlight of the race.
Addressing the volume of support, Haase wrote on Instagram: "Hi guys, honestly… where do I even start, where do I stop. I’m not exactly the most talented when it comes to putting things like this into words.
"I want to thank all of you – for the many messages, calls, comments, and of course the fans at the track, as well as all the support on and off track.
"I’ve received such an overwhelming amount of positive feedback that I simply can’t reply to everyone individually. That’s why I want to use this message to reach as many of you as possible – that really matters to me. I truly didn’t expect this level of consistently positive support.
"I’m a racer through and through – and I really enjoyed the stint with Max. Those are exactly the kind of battles we live for in this sport. And with your support, it means even more.
"Thank you all – fans, supporters, partners, friends, competitors, and everyone who shares this passion for our sport. It means more to me than I can put into words."
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