Max Verstappen began his 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours campaign with a strong performance in the opening qualifying session, finishing third overall after an eventful two-hour run at the famous German circuit.
The first qualifying session on Thursday was interrupted early by a dramatic incident involving two Porsche entries. The No. 900 Black Falcon Team Zimmermann Porsche caught fire near the Schumacher S section. Driver Alexander Hardt safely exited the car, but while he was standing nearby, the No. 146 Giti Tires by WS Racing Porsche, driven by Janina Schall, collided with the stationary vehicle. Fortunately, both drivers escaped without injury, though the accident triggered several slow zones and Code 60 periods that disrupted the session.
Despite the interruptions, Verstappen quickly showed impressive pace in the No. 3 Verstappen.com Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. After two installation laps, he returned to the track with just over an hour left on the clock. His first timed lap was an 8:47.982, but he soon improved significantly to an 8:18.539. That effort briefly placed him at the top of the timing sheets and put him more than eight seconds ahead of the nearest challengers from ROWE Racing.
As the session progressed, other contenders responded. Fabian Schiller delivered the fastest lap of the afternoon in the No. 80 Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3, posting an impressive 8:14.957. Raffaele Marciello moved into second place in the No. 1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, just over three seconds behind Schiller. Verstappen was pushed down to third, ending the session 3.582 seconds off the fastest time.
Weather conditions became increasingly challenging during the final stages. Rain and light hail fell over parts of the Nürburgring, making further improvements nearly impossible. The precipitation was light in places but enough to reduce grip and force teams to focus on understanding wet-weather performance rather than chasing faster lap times.
In the closing minutes, Lucas Auer took over Verstappen’s car and completed several laps in the wet to gather valuable data for the team. Dan Harper finished fourth in the No. 99 ROWE Racing BMW, while Thomas Preining secured fifth for Manthey Porsche.
Although Verstappen did not end the session on top, his early benchmark confirmed that he and his teammates are serious contenders for victory. The first three qualifying sessions serve primarily as preparation for the GT3 field, with the decisive Top Qualifying sessions on Friday determining the starting order for the leading SP9 class. With strong pace in both dry and wet conditions, Verstappen remains firmly in the hunt for success in one of endurance racing’s most demanding events.