Verstappen starts P4 at Nürburgring 24 Hours

Max Verstappen lined up fourth for his first Nürburgring 24 Hours after Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing secured a second-row start in Friday’s Top Qualifying 3. The 54th edition of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring began at 3 p.m. CEST on Saturday, May 16, on the 25.378-kilometre combined Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit. Mercedes-AMG listed Verstappen in the No. 3 car alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella, with the entry running in the top SP9 PRO category. ### How did Verstappen’s car end up fourth on the grid? Daniel Juncadella put the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 fourth in the final one-car-at-a-time shootout on Friday, according to the Nürburgring 24 Hours organizer. The official event site said Team Abt locked out the front row, Christopher Haase put the Scherer Sport Audi third, and Juncadella claimed fourth. (mercedes-amg.com) Grandprix247 reported Juncadella’s lap at 8:12.005, less than a second off pole, after he improved on his second flying lap in the Top Qualifying 3 format. The same report said Luca Engstler took pole for Red Bull Team Abt in the No. 84 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, ahead of teammate Marco Mapelli, with Haase third. (24h-rennen.de) ### Who shared the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car? Mercedes-AMG named Max Verstappen, Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella as the four drivers for the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry. The company said both of its factory-supported GT3 entries at the race were fielded by Winward Racing. The Nürburgring 24 Hours organizer announced the lineup on March 9 and said Verstappen would make his first start in the event in 2026. (grandprix247.com) The organizer also said Verstappen had completed the normal qualification process for the Nordschleife, including permit requirements and prior preparation runs. ### What did Verstappen say after qualifying? (mercedes-amg.com) Max Verstappen said after Top Qualifying 2 that reaching the final shootout had been the target in a field he described as highly competitive. “I felt good in the car,” Verstappen said, according to Grandprix247. “Of course, our goal was to get into the Top Qualifying 3.” (24h-rennen.de) Verstappen also said Thursday’s wet and foggy running had given him a useful reference for the race. Grandprix247 quoted him saying the difficult night conditions were his first experience of that kind on the Nordschleife and had given him “a good idea” of what might come in the 24-hour event. (grandprix247.com) ### How big is this race and what makes the grid notable? Mercedes-AMG said the 2026 race was the 54th running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours and that the event featured around 160 cars across more than 20 classes. The organizer said 161 cars were entered, the largest starting grid in more than a decade and the biggest since 2014. (grandprix247.com) The official schedule showed Top Qualifying 3 was held on Friday, May 15, with each car completing a warm-up lap and two timed laps. The race timetable then placed warm-up, grid procedures and the race start on Saturday, May 16. ### When did the race start and what comes next? (mercedes-amg.com) Mercedes-AMG said the race started at 3 p.m. CEST on Saturday, May 16. The official event schedule listed pre-grid procedures from 12:45 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. local time before the 24-hour race start. The Nürburgring 24 Hours results page was publishing race split classifications during the event, including standings after one, three, five and seven hours. (adac-sport.com) The next formal milestone is the checkered flag on Sunday, May 17, when the 24-hour race reaches its scheduled finish. (24h-rennen.de) (mercedes-amg.com)