Max Verstappen team-mate collides with F1 champion at Nurburgring 24 Hours race

Max Verstappen and Mercedes survived a gripping night at the Nurburgring 24 Hours race, but only after one epic battle and one major scare.

The four-time world champion got behind the wheel of his Number 3 Verstappen Racing AMG for his night stint just before 2am local time (1am in the UK) and proceeding to have a thrilling scrap for the lead of the race.

To make the action even more dramatic, the mighty Dutchman was duelling with Maro Engel in the other Mercedes car run by Winward Racing - Team Ravenol.

WATCH LIVE: Nurburgring 24 Hours: Verstappen bids for victory

Verstappen-Engel battle erupts at the Nurburgring

The two AMGs were leading by two to three minutes ahead of the Walkenhorst Aston Martin and ROWE BMW when battle erupted in the darkness at the iconic German track.

The situation escalated when Verstappen hopped into car number 3 while Engel took the wheel of car number 80. The peak of the action came at the end of the Dottinger Hohe section, where both drivers had to swerve around two slower cars.

The contact that ensued forced Engel onto the grass, and despite the high stakes, he would later laugh off the incident.

Engel reacts to Verstappen battle, and collision

"I had a great time racing with Max," Engel told GPFans.

"The Nordschleife is always extra special at night - it's an amazing place. I really enjoyed pushing our AMG GT3 through the darkness with him, and I hope we managed to entertain the fans who stayed up for the action. Now, I'm off for some sleep while my team-mates take over. Let's see how the race unfolds."

With just over seven hours remaining, Verstappen’s car held a 10-second lead over the Ravenol entry.

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