Max Verstappen knocked off top spot in dramatic Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying session
Verstappen briefly led the field before late improvements and worsening weather dropped the Red Bull star to third in a chaotic opening session
made an immediate statement in his first qualifying outing at the 2026 , only to be denied top spot after a dramatic and interruption-filled opening session at the legendary Nordschleife.
The Dutchman, driving the No. 3 Verstappen.com Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, finished third overall after an impressive early benchmark lap was eventually surpassed during the two-hour qualifying run on Thursday afternoon.
The session was thrown into chaos almost immediately following a frightening accident involving two Porsche entries near the Schumacher S section. The No. 900 Black Falcon Team Zimmermann Porsche caught fire after stopping on circuit, with driver escaping safely.
However, moments later, the No. 146 Giti Tires by WS Racing Porsche driven by collided with the stranded car in a dramatic impact that triggered multiple slow zones and lengthy Code 60 periods around the circuit.
Thankfully, both drivers walked away unharmed.
Despite the disrupted running, Verstappen wasted little time showing his pace. After completing two installation laps, the reigning Formula 1 world champion returned to the track with just over an hour remaining and immediately began climbing the order.
An initial 8:47.982 lap quickly evolved into a far more competitive 8:18.539, a time that briefly placed Verstappen at the top of the standings and left him over eight seconds clear of the chasing ROWE Racing machines at that stage.
But as track conditions improved temporarily, rival teams responded.
eventually produced the fastest lap of the session in the No. 80 Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3 with an 8:14.957, while moved into second position aboard the No. 1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
That pushed Verstappen down to third, 3.582 seconds adrift of Schiller’s leading benchmark.
The final stages of the session became increasingly difficult as rain and light hail swept across parts of the Nürburgring. Grip levels dropped rapidly, preventing most drivers from mounting meaningful improvements and shifting team focus toward gathering wet-weather data instead of outright performance.
With conditions deteriorating, took over Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 and completed several valuable laps in the wet as the team prepared for the unpredictable conditions expected across the weekend.
secured fourth place for ROWE Racing, while rounded out the top five for Manthey Porsche.
Although Verstappen ultimately lost top spot, the session underlined the strength of the Verstappen.com Racing operation heading into the crucial stages of qualifying. His pace in both stable and changing conditions reinforced the belief that the team could become a major threat in the fight for overall victory.
The opening qualifying sessions mainly serve as preparation for the GT3 field ahead of Friday’s decisive Top Qualifying shootout, which will determine the starting order for the leading SP9 class.
And if Thursday’s performance was any indication, Verstappen’s Nürburgring challenge is only just beginning.