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Max Verstappen‘s introduction to Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifying week went about as well as you’d hope for a four-time Formula 1 world champion making his debut in one of the most chaotic two-hour sessions in motorsport.
He finished third in the #3 Team Verstappen Mercedes-AMGGT3, behind two cars from his own manufacturer and ahead of a field that included every major GT3 constructor on the planet.
After completing two installation laps, Verstappen returned with just over an hour remaining and soon improved to an 8:18.539, momentarily posting the fastest lap – eight seconds clear of ROWE Racing‘s pair of BMWs.
That cushion didn’t last. The sister #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 eventually set the benchmark at an 8:14.957, courtesy of Fabian Schiller, and that was enough to hold on for the session win.
The car of Max Verstappen seen at the Nürburgring in Germany on March 31, 2026. // Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202605120754 // Usage for editorial use only //
The first three qualifying sessions are purely free practice for Verstappen and his GT3 competitors; they only determine the grid for the lower classes.
So third overall here is encouraging rather than meaningful in terms of grid position. What it did lock in was more important: Verstappen ticked off and ensured his qualification for the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Every driver in the entry must complete a minimum number of timed laps across Q1, Q2, or Q3, and Verstappen got his done before handing the #3 car off to teammates. Shortly after the session’s fastest times were set, 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 major improvements were recorded in the final twenty minutes.
Lucas Auer managed several laps in the rain during the closing stages, using the Verstappen Racing car to get a feel for the wet conditions. With a 24-hour race that will almost certainly see rain at some point across Saturday and Sunday, that wasn’t wasted time.
Max Verstappen seen at the Nürburgring in Germany on March 31, 2026. // Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202605120708 // Usage for editorial use only //
The bigger picture here is what Verstappen is actually chasing. He has said that racing at the Nurburgring reminded him of “what real motorsport is like” and that he was jumping out of the car feeling “happy.”
This is why a four-time world champion is spending his Thursday afternoon circulating the Green Hell in a GT3 rather than prepping for the next F1 race (Canadian Grand Prix).
He has made it known that he is unhappy with F1’s controversial new regulations, calling them “anti-racing.”
Before the race itself on Saturday, Verstappen and teammates Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella, and Jules Gounon must still negotiate a total of six qualifying sessions. The grid-defining ones, the Top Qualifying shootouts, happen on Friday.
Weekend tickets have already sold out for the first time in the event’s 56-year history, and given the Q1 times on offer, it’s looking like Verstappen’s car will be in the mix when the real action starts.
Continue reading...
He finished third in the #3 Team Verstappen Mercedes-AMGGT3, behind two cars from his own manufacturer and ahead of a field that included every major GT3 constructor on the planet.
After completing two installation laps, Verstappen returned with just over an hour remaining and soon improved to an 8:18.539, momentarily posting the fastest lap – eight seconds clear of ROWE Racing‘s pair of BMWs.
That cushion didn’t last. The sister #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 eventually set the benchmark at an 8:14.957, courtesy of Fabian Schiller, and that was enough to hold on for the session win.
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The car of Max Verstappen seen at the Nürburgring in Germany on March 31, 2026. // Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202605120754 // Usage for editorial use only //
Verstappen’s Q1 Didn’t Decide Much – But It Did Decide One Thing
The first three qualifying sessions are purely free practice for Verstappen and his GT3 competitors; they only determine the grid for the lower classes.
So third overall here is encouraging rather than meaningful in terms of grid position. What it did lock in was more important: Verstappen ticked off and ensured his qualification for the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Every driver in the entry must complete a minimum number of timed laps across Q1, Q2, or Q3, and Verstappen got his done before handing the #3 car off to teammates. Shortly after the session’s fastest times were set, 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 major improvements were recorded in the final twenty minutes.
Lucas Auer managed several laps in the rain during the closing stages, using the Verstappen Racing car to get a feel for the wet conditions. With a 24-hour race that will almost certainly see rain at some point across Saturday and Sunday, that wasn’t wasted time.
You must be registered for see images attach
Max Verstappen seen at the Nürburgring in Germany on March 31, 2026. // Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202605120708 // Usage for editorial use only //
The bigger picture here is what Verstappen is actually chasing. He has said that racing at the Nurburgring reminded him of “what real motorsport is like” and that he was jumping out of the car feeling “happy.”
This is why a four-time world champion is spending his Thursday afternoon circulating the Green Hell in a GT3 rather than prepping for the next F1 race (Canadian Grand Prix).
He has made it known that he is unhappy with F1’s controversial new regulations, calling them “anti-racing.”
Before the race itself on Saturday, Verstappen and teammates Lucas Auer, Dani Juncadella, and Jules Gounon must still negotiate a total of six qualifying sessions. The grid-defining ones, the Top Qualifying shootouts, happen on Friday.
Weekend tickets have already sold out for the first time in the event’s 56-year history, and given the Q1 times on offer, it’s looking like Verstappen’s car will be in the mix when the real action starts.
Continue reading...
