Max Verstappen made an encouraging start to qualifying for the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours before slipping to third place in a dramatic opening session interrupted by crashes and changing weather conditions.
The first qualifying session at the famous Nürburgring circuit featured several incidents and fluctuating track conditions as teams began preparations for the iconic endurance event. Verstappen initially appeared to have the pace to finish fastest after setting an early benchmark in the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
After completing his opening installation laps, the Dutchman returned to the track and first recorded an 8:47.982 before improving significantly to an 8:18.539. That lap temporarily placed him at the top of the standings, comfortably ahead of the BMW entries from ROWE Racing.
However, the session became heavily disrupted by multiple incidents around the Nordschleife, leading to slow zones and Code 60 periods that impacted drivers attempting flying laps.
A major incident occurred when the No. 900 Black Falcon Team Zimmermann Porsche caught fire near Schumacher S. Driver Alexander Hardt escaped safely, but Janina Schall later collided with the stationary car in the No. 146 Giti Tires by WS Porsche. Both drivers were unharmed despite the frightening accident.
As the session continued, Fabian Schiller produced the quickest lap of Q1 in the No. 80 Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3, setting an 8:14.957 to move ahead of Verstappen.
Raffaele Marciello also moved ahead of the reigning Formula 1 champion in the No. 1 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, leaving Verstappen’s entry in third position by the end of the session.
Rain and light hail later arrived across sections of the circuit, making improvements nearly impossible during the closing stages. The unusual weather conditions added another challenge for teams as they prepared for the remainder of qualifying.
Lucas Auer later drove the Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG to gain valuable experience in wet conditions ahead of the rest of the weekend.
Dan Harper finished fourth in the No. 99 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, while Thomas Preining secured fifth place in the Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Although Verstappen missed out on the fastest time, his strong early pace showed that his team is firmly in contention heading into the next qualifying sessions at the Nürburgring.
