Max Verstappen Knocked Off Top Spot as Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying Erupts Into Chaos
Max Verstappen made a flying start to his 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours campaign before being pushed down the order in a dramatic and incident-filled opening qualifying session at the legendary German circuit.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion immediately showed serious pace in the No. 3 Verstappen.com Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 during Thursday’s first qualifying session, briefly going fastest by a massive margin before rivals struck back later in the afternoon. Despite eventually finishing third overall, Verstappen’s performance firmly established him and his team as major contenders heading into one of endurance racing’s toughest events.
The two-hour qualifying session at the famous Nürburgring was interrupted early following a frightening incident involving two Porsche cars near the Schumacher S section of the track. The No. 900 Black Falcon Team Zimmermann Porsche, driven by Alexander Hardt, suddenly caught fire and came to a stop on circuit.
Hardt safely escaped the burning vehicle, but moments later the No. 146 Giti Tires by WS Racing Porsche, driven by Janina Schall, collided with the stationary car. The crash immediately triggered concern around the circuit as marshals rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, both drivers escaped without injuries, though the accident caused significant disruption to the session. Race control deployed multiple slow zones and Code 60 periods around the Nordschleife, forcing drivers to repeatedly back off and making it difficult for teams to complete uninterrupted fast laps.
Once the session settled down, Verstappen wasted little time making his mark.
After completing two installation laps in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine, the Dutchman returned to the circuit with just over an hour remaining and immediately began pushing hard. His first representative lap came in at 8:47.982, but he quickly found enormous improvements around the challenging 25-kilometre Nürburgring layout.
On his next serious attempt, Verstappen produced a stunning 8:18.539 lap that sent him to the top of the timing sheets. At that stage, his effort placed him more than eight seconds clear of the nearest challengers from ROWE Racing, underlining just how competitive the Verstappen.com Racing entry looked in dry conditions.
For a period, it appeared Verstappen might remain untouchable.
However, as track conditions evolved and more teams found rhythm, the competition intensified dramatically. Fabian Schiller eventually delivered the standout lap of the session in the No. 80 Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3, clocking an impressive 8:14.957 to snatch the top position.
Soon after, Raffaele Marciello climbed into second place aboard the No. 1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, leaving Verstappen pushed down to third overall. By the end of the session, Verstappen trailed Schiller’s benchmark by 3.582 seconds.
Even so, the performance remained highly encouraging for the Dutch superstar and his teammates, especially considering the constantly changing conditions throughout the afternoon.
The final phase of qualifying became even more complicated as weather conditions deteriorated around parts of the Nürburgring. Rain showers and light hail began falling across sections of the circuit, creating a dangerous mix of damp asphalt and reduced visibility.
Drivers immediately struggled for grip, and the chances of improving lap times quickly disappeared. Instead of focusing on outright pace, many teams shifted attention toward gathering valuable information about wet-weather tyre behaviour and car balance ahead of the race itself.
During the closing stages, Lucas Auer took over Verstappen’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 and completed several laps in the increasingly wet conditions to help the team collect additional setup data.
Behind the leading trio, Dan Harper secured fourth place for ROWE Racing in another BMW entry, while Thomas Preining rounded out the top five for Manthey Porsche.
Although Verstappen ultimately lost the top position, his early pace sent a clear warning to the rest of the field. The reigning Formula 1 champion looked immediately comfortable attacking the Nürburgring’s punishing corners and unpredictable surfaces, reinforcing expectations that he could challenge for victory in the endurance classic.
The opening qualifying sessions mainly serve as preparation and positioning exercises for the elite SP9 GT3 category, with Friday’s decisive Top Qualifying shootout set to determine the final starting order for the race.
Given the pace shown in both dry and wet conditions, Verstappen and the Verstappen.com Racing team appear well positioned heading into the crucial next stage of the event. If Thursday’s session was any indication, the Dutchman’s pursuit of Nürburgring 24 Hours glory is very much alive even after being knocked off the top spot in dramatic fashion.