Verstappen leads Nürburgring stints

Max Verstappen spent the opening phase of the Nürburgring 24 Hours at the front on Saturday after Team Verstappen’s No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 moved into the lead during the early stints at the Nordschleife. The Formula One champion had already put the car into the pole shootout with an 8 minute 11.614 second lap in Top Qualifying 2 on Friday, after posting an 8:18.539 in an earlier qualifying session. Later in the race, Verstappen hit a barrier while chasing the lead, according to race coverage from The Race and Motorsport.com. The 24-hour race started at 15:00 local time on May 16 under cool conditions at Nürburg, with rain risk forecast for the evening. ### How did Verstappen end up racing a Mercedes with Red Bull branding? Red Bull confirmed in March that Verstappen would contest the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours in a GT3 entered under his own Verstappen Racing banner. The car is a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo carrying Red Bull colors, an unusual combination given Verstappen’s long-running Formula One ties with Red Bull rather than Mercedes. Red Bull said the event would run from May 14 to May 17 and that viewers could watch the race on Red Bull TV and the company’s motorsport channels. (motorsport.com) March 9 reports from Motorsport Week and other motorsport outlets said Verstappen’s participation had been enabled by the 2026 calendar, which left the Nürburgring weekend clear of a Formula One clash. Those reports also said he had completed the necessary Nordschleife preparation races to secure his place in the field. (redbull.com) ### What did he do in qualifying before the race began? Motorsport.com reported that Verstappen set an 8:11.614 in Top Qualifying 2 on May 15 to reach the pole shootout, placing sixth in that session. That time left him roughly one second slower than the fastest lap in the session, according to the same report. (motorsportweek.com) RacingNews365 reported that Team Verstappen ultimately missed pole, with Dani Juncadella taking the car into the final fight for the front of the grid after Lucas Auer and Verstappen handled the earlier qualifying phases. Wikipedia’s event page, which should be treated cautiously but matches the broader qualifying picture, lists the pole time as 8:11.123 for Red Bull Team Abt. (motorsport.com) ### What happened once the 24-hour race got underway? The official event schedule published by ADAC listed the race start for 15:00 local time on Saturday, May 16, with the finish due at 15:00 on Sunday, May 17. Early race reports said Verstappen helped move the No. 3 Mercedes to the front during the opening stints. (racingnews365.com) The Race reported that Verstappen later hit a barrier while charging for the race lead. Motorsport.com separately established his qualifying role and Team Verstappen’s place among the front-running SP9 entries, though live race positions were still shifting through the night in a field that includes multiple factory-backed GT3 programs. (adac-sport.com) ### Why are the weather conditions part of this story? Weather.com forecast, cited by GPBlog, showed showers first expected around 19:00 local with a 48% chance of rain over the following two hours. The same report said temperatures were set to fall through the evening, with a cold night expected at the Nordschleife. (motorsport.com) The Weather Channel’s 10-day forecast page for Nürburg showed an overnight low around 44 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 7 degrees Celsius, with rain developing after midnight and an 80% chance of precipitation. Endurance teams at the Nürburgring routinely adjust tire and stint strategy around those swings because the combined Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit can present different grip levels across its length. That last point is an inference from the circuit’s layout and standard endurance-racing practice. (gpblog.com) ### Where does this fit in Verstappen’s wider racing program? The Nürburgring 24 Hours is part of a broader GT and endurance push around Verstappen Racing, which Red Bull has promoted separately from his Formula One campaign. Red Bull’s event page described the Nürburgring appearance as Verstappen’s run in a GT3 at the Nordschleife over the May 14-17 weekend. (weather.com) The 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours also forms part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, according to event listings and the race’s published materials. That puts Verstappen into a field featuring established GT specialists as well as high-profile guest drivers. ### What comes next in this race weekend? Sunday, May 17 is the scheduled finish of the 24-hour race at 15:00 local time, according to the official timetable. (redbull.com) Red Bull said the event would be carried live on Red Bull TV and its motorsport YouTube channel, while race organizers and motorsport outlets were publishing timing and classification updates through the weekend. (adac-sport.com) (en.wikipedia.org)