Max Verstappen debuts Nürburgring 24

Max Verstappen will start fourth in his first Nürburgring 24 Hours after Friday qualifying placed the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car on the second row for Saturday’s race. The four-time Formula 1 world champion is sharing the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella in the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. Organizers said Verstappen drove the car into the decisive Top Qualifying 3 session before Juncadella secured the final grid position. (24h-rennen.de) Saturday’s race is scheduled to start at 15:00 local time at the Nürburgring. (24h-rennen.de) ### How did Verstappen end up on the Nürburgring 24 Hours grid? March 9 was the date organizers announced Verstappen would contest the race for the first time in 2026. The official event site said he would drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing with Auer, Gounon and Juncadella. Verstappen said the Nürburgring 24 Hours had been on his “wish list for a long time,” according to the event’s March announcement. Organizers said he obtained the required DMSB Nordschleife license last year, raced in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and completed the standard qualification process without special treatment. (24h-rennen.de) Walter Hornung, race director of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring, said in the same release that Verstappen had prepared “in an incredibly professional manner.” Hornung said that preparation included Nordschleife outings, mandatory e-learning and simulator work. (24h-rennen.de) ### What exactly happened in qualifying on Friday? Friday’s Top Qualifying format cut the leading GT3 contenders down through three sessions before the final shootout for pole. The event website said Verstappen personally drove the team into Top Qualifying 3 after finishing sixth in the earlier phase. (24h-rennen.de) Top Qualifying 3 then produced an Abt lockout of the front row. The official race report said Luca Engstler took pole in the No. 84 Abt Lamborghini, Marco Mapelli put the No. 130 Abt Lamborghini second, Christopher Haase placed the No. 16 Scherer Sport Audi third and Juncadella put Verstappen’s No. 3 Mercedes-AMG fourth. (24h-rennen.de) Verstappen’s own team site also reported the car qualified fourth and said Juncadella finished within nine-tenths of the fastest time on the 25.3-kilometer circuit. That confirmed reports that the entry would start from the first two rows and inside the top five. (24h-rennen.de) ### Who are the main rivals in the race? Abt enters Saturday with both front-row spots after Engstler and Mapelli led the final qualifying session in Lamborghini machinery. Scherer Sport PHX’s Audi will start third, directly ahead of Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG. (24h-rennen.de) Porsche and BMW are also among the headline manufacturers in the field. The Nürburgring’s event materials list a large multi-class entry, and organizers said the race brings together factory drivers, Nordschleife specialists and private teams across the grid. (news.verstappen.com) Thomas Preining’s Manthey Porsche was among the expected front-runners but ended up eighth after losing time in Top Qualifying 3, according to the official session report. ROWE Racing, the defending winner named by organizers in pre-race coverage, is another established contender from BMW’s side. (24h-rennen.de) ### Why has Verstappen been doing so much Nordschleife preparation? April’s 24h Qualifiers weekend was part of Verstappen’s build-up to the main event. The official Nürburgring preview said he used those races in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 to prepare for the May 14-17 race weekend. (nuerburgring.de) The Nürburgring announcement said Verstappen had also built experience through real-world NLS appearances and sim racing in the digital NLS. Verstappen said that previous running helped his team learn lessons to carry into this year’s program. (24h-rennen.de) ### What happens next and when can people follow it? Saturday, May 16 is race day, with the official pole report stating the 24-hour race starts at 15:00 local time. Sky Sports said its coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ahead of the start, while the event’s official site is carrying live timing and race coverage. (24h-rennen.de 1) (24h-rennen.de 2) (24h-rennen.de 3)