Verstappen Racing qualifies fourth for 24h Nurburgring

Published on 15 May 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Verstappen Racing has qualified fourth for the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which will start on Saturday afternoon at 15:00 Dutch time. Dani Juncadella, driving the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3, finished within nine tenths of the fastest time on the 25.3-kilometre circuit known as the Green Hell.

On Friday afternoon, the twelve fastest GT3 cars prepare to battle for pole position for the 54th edition of the legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring on the famous Nordschleife. Dani Juncadella is on duty for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, after Max Verstappen took part in Top Qualifying 2, and Lucas Auer drove during Top Qualifying 1. A different driver is required for each session.

The final phase, Top Qualifying 3, follows a shoot-out format: all twelve remaining cars are shown the green flag one by one, ensuring everyone has a clear track to complete two flying laps. After some rain, the track has largely dried up, although a few damp patches remain.

After the first runs are completed, Verstappen Racing occupies provisional ninth place, 6.8 seconds off the pace. At the front are the Lamborghinis of Red Bull Team Abt and Franz Konrad. On his second flying lap, Juncadella improves to an 8:12.005, securing fourth place on the grid for the 24-hour race.

The front row is locked out by Red Bull Team Abt thanks to Luca Engstler, who sets an 8:11.123 in the #84 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, and the #130 of Marco Mapelli with an 8:11.468. Christopher Haase places the Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II in third. The #45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi, featuring Thierry Vermeulen among its drivers, starts the race from P5.

Click here for the full results of Top Qualifying 3 for the 24h Nürburgring 2026.

The 54th edition of the 24h Nürburgring starts on Saturday 16 May at 15:00 CEST and finishes 24 hours later on Sunday 17 May. You can follow the race live via Viaplay.com, Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.