Verstappen nails Nordschleife pole
Max Verstappen grabbed pole at the NLS2 Nordschleife qualifying on March 21 by nearly two seconds in his Mercedes GT3 debut — a dominant statement as he expands into selective GT racing. His entry into Mercedes GT3 and the Nurburgring program was confirmed this week, evolving his season beyond F1 and adding a major headline for endurance fans ( ).
Verstappen’s fastest lap in qualifying was a 7:51.751 around the Nordschleife’s ~24 km layout. (news.verstappen.com (news.verstappen.com)) He drove the #3 Mercedes‑AMG GT3 EVO under the Mercedes‑AMG Team Verstappen Racing banner, sharing the car with Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon. (motorsport.com (motorsport.com)) The 90‑minute session was repeatedly fragmented by Code 60 slow zones, multiple red flags and a 45‑minute orange‑flag repair at the Hohenrain‑Schikane, leaving only a brief green window for flying laps. (autoracing1.com (autoracing1.com)) Official qualifying saw the #3 Winward‑Mercedes (Verstappen/Juncadella/Gounon) top the timing sheets, with Scherer‑PHX’s Audi and Rowe Racing’s BMW completing the top three. (autoracing1.com (autoracing1.com)) Verstappen’s wider Nürburgring programme — confirmed this week — installs him in a Red Bull‑liveried Mercedes‑AMG GT3 run by Winward Racing for the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring on May 14–17, 2026, a car and livery that were unveiled in a BASE‑jump reveal video. (news.verstappen.com (news.verstappen.com); redbull.com (redbull.com)) That 7:51.751 sits just over two seconds shy of the official NLS GT3 benchmark of 7:49.578 set by Christian Krognes in a BMW M4 in 2022, underlining how close Verstappen came to the class record on his first competitive outing. (f1oversteer.com (f1oversteer.com))
