Max Verstappen Officially Qualifies For Nurburgring 24 Hours in Rainy Session: Here’s Where He Finished

Max Verstappen‘s introduction to Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifying week went about as well as you’d hope for a four-time Formula 1 world champion making his debut in one of the most chaotic two-hour sessions in motorsport.

He finished third in the #3 Team Verstappen Mercedes-AMG GT3, behind two cars from his own manufacturer and ahead of a field that included every major GT3 constructor on the planet.

After completing two installation laps, Verstappen returned with just over an hour remaining and soon improved to an 8:18.539, momentarily posting the fastest lap – eight seconds clear of ROWE Racing‘s pair of BMWs.

That cushion didn’t last. The sister #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 eventually set the benchmark at an 8:14.957, courtesy of Fabian Schiller, and that was enough to hold on for the session win.

Verstappen’s Q1 Didn’t Decide Much – But It Did Decide One Thing

The first three qualifying sessions are purely free practice for Verstappen and his GT3 competitors; they only determine the grid for the lower classes.

So third overall here is encouraging rather than meaningful in terms of grid position. What it did lock in was more important: Verstappen ticked off and ensured his qualification for the 2026 Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Every driver in the entry must complete a minimum number of timed laps across Q1, Q2, or Q3, and Verstappen got his done before handing the #3 off to teammates. Shortly after the session’s fastest times were set, rain and even hail began to fall on parts of the circuit. The precipitation came down so gently at times it almost resembled a light snowfall, and no major improvements were recorded in the final twenty minutes.