Max Verstappen (Mercedes-AMG GT3) in action at the Nurburgring

Red Bull F1 driver Max Verstappen and teammate Lucas Auer will start sixth in the first Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifier race on Saturday evening.

Verstappen’s entry lapped 3.524 seconds off the pace as the number 23 BMW M4 GTE EVO – driven by Anzal Zsio, Moritz Kranz and David Jahn – took pole position for the four-hour race.

Max Verstappen to start sixth in first Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifier

After a lengthy red flag delay, Auer was seen making contact with another car after the session resumed before handing the Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car to four-time F1 world champion Verstappen.

Verstappen managed to improve on his teammate’s laptime, but could only manage sixth on the grid.

The first qualifier race, which will see Verstappen compete at night at the Nordschleife for the first time, will be held over four hours from 1730 local time on Saturday evening.

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Verstappen announced last month that he will make his debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours in 2026.

The event will take place on the weekend of May 14-17, falling between F1’s Miami and Canadian grands prix.

Verstappen’s preparations for his debut in the endurance classic stepped up last month when he appeared in an NLS race at the Nurburgring.

The number three crew of Verstappen, Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon won the race in dominant fashion before being disqualified for a tyre infringement.

Verstappen’s team had used seven sets of tyres across qualifying and the race combined, one more than the permitted maximum of six.

This weekend’s qualifiers at the Nurburgring had originally been set to clash with F1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

However, the cancellation of the Jeddah race last month opened the door for Verstappen to return to the Nurburgring this weekend.

Verstappen will be back behind the wheel on Sunday for the second qualifier race.

Qualifying will be held over 90 minutes from 0815 local time before ‘top qualifying’ is staged for 60 minutes from 1040.

Sunday’s four-hour race is scheduled to begin at 1300 local time.

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