The first qualifying session of the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours have taken place and here’s where Max Verstappen placed.
There was an early incident during Thursday’s first qualifying session, where the No. 900 Black Falcon Team Zimmermann Porsche caught fire at the Schumacher S.
Alexander Hardt had gotten out of the car, but was standing next to it, while Janina Schall in the No. 146 Giti Tires by WS Porsche slammed into it. Both drivers got out of the car and were okay.
Meanwhile, Verstappen took charge of the first Q1 session segment. After completing two installation laps, he returned with just over an hour remaining. His first attempt produced an 8:47.982, but the four-time world champion soon improved to 8:18.539, momentarily posting the fastest lap – eight seconds ahead of ROWE Racing’s duo of BMWs. However, numerous incidents on track meant that slow zones and Code 60 areas skewed the timing.
Dani Juncadella was the next to take to the track, followed by Jules Gounon, though neither managed a better time. With half an hour left, Fabian Schiller -sharing the Ravenol Mercedes-AMG number 80 with Maro Engel, Maxime Martin, and Luca Stolz – set the best lap of Q1 with his 8:14.957. Raffaele Marciello in the ROWE BMW number 1 finished 3.112 seconds behind, while Verstappen’s car slid back into third.
Shortly after Schiller and Marciello’s rapid runs, rain and even hail began to fall on parts of the circuit. The precipitation came down so gently at times it almost resembled a light snowfall, and no significant improvements were recorded in the final twenty minutes.
In the end, Schiller held on at the top, with Marciello and Verstappen trailing behind. Lucas Auer managed several laps in the rain during the final moments, using the Verstappen Racing car to get a feel for the wet conditions. Rounding off the top five were Dan Harper in the ROWE BMW number 99 and Thomas Preining in the Manthey Porsche number 911.
Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Results: Session 1
| Position | Car Number | Team | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 8:14.957 |
| 2 | 1 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +03.112 |
| 3 | 3 [Verstappen] | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +03.582 |
| 4 | 99 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +03.645 |
| 5 | 911 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +06.760 |
| 6 | 130 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 | +07.041 |
| 7 | 77 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +11.668 |
| 8 | 64 | Ford Mustang GT3 EVO (2026) | +11.794 |
| 9 | 16 | Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II | +12.123 |
| 10 | 17 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +12.219 |
| 24 | 123 [Alex Brundle] | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +20.783 |
How does Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying work?
Qualifying is divided into six different sessions at the Nurburgring, with the first two-hour stint taking place on Thursday afternoon, May 14.
The second qualifying session takes place later this evening, where we have a three-and-a-half-hour session beginning at 8pm local time (7pm UK). On Friday afternoon, May 15, there is a third qualifying session of 65 minutes.
The first three qualifying sessions of the week are purely free practice for Verstappen and his GT3 competitors; they only determine the grid for the lower classes, whereas the starting grid for the SP 9 class is determined by Top Qualifying on Friday.
Nurburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Schedule
The schedule for all Qualifying sessions looks like this:
Thursday, May 14
First Qualifying: 12:15 – 14:15 UK time
Second Qualifying: 19:00 – 22:30 UK time
Friday, May 15
Top Qualifying 1: 09:15 – 09:45 UK time
Top Qualifying 2: 10:05 – 10:35 UK time
Third Qualifying: 11:00 – 12:05 UK time
Top Qualifying 3: 12:35 – 13:35 UK time
