Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen returned to the Nurburgring on Saturday, March 21, this time in a Mercedes as he entered qualifying for the opening round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) with Verstappen Racing.
The Dutchman claimed pole position in the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 —the same as his F1 driver number — alongside team-mates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon with Verstappen himself clocking the fastest time of a 7:51.751.
Juncadella took charge of the first qualifying laps behind the wheel of the Winward Racing-run AMG, and originally set the the provisional fastest time of an 8:01.310.
Verstappen then took over from his team-mate for a few installation laps before handing the car over to Gounon; but a Code 60 in the final chicane caused by a crash involving Leo-Livius Arne Weber's Porsche Cayman, meant no significant improvements could be made in that hour.
During the closing stages of qualifying, Verstappen managed to lift the team from 15th on the timesheets and set the fastest time.
Christopher Haas in the No.16 Audi of Scherer Sport PHX set the second fastest time but was 1.974 seconds behind Verstappen, while Raffaele Marciello clocked the third fastest time, 2.855 seconds behind, in the No.98 BMW of ROWE Racing.
Check out the top 20 results from Saturday's qualifying session below.
Verstappen initially stormed to victory in the Mercedes-AMG in Saturday's race, but he and the Winward Mercedes-AMG team were later disqualified just hours after the NLS2 had concluded. Read the full update here.
WATCH: Max Verstappen Nurburgring LIVE - Free NLS race streams and everything you need to know
Nurburgring Qualifying Results: NLS2 2026
| Position | Driver | Team | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No.3 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 7:51.751 |
| 2 | No.16 | Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II | +01.974 |
| 3 | No.98 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +02.855 |
| 4 | No.34 | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO | +03.503 |
| 5 | No.80 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +03.914 |
| 6 | No.47 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +04.070 |
| 7 | No.99 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +04.905 |
| 8 | No.45 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | +05.061 |
| 9 | No.65 | Ford Mustang GT3 | +05.664 |
| 10 | No.44 | Porsche 911 GT3 R | +05.770 |
| 11 | No.7 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | +06.176 |
| 12 | No.48 | Porsche 911 GT3 R | +06.696 |
| 13 | No.77 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +06.995 |
| 14 | No.81 | BMW G81 M3 Touring 24H | +07.192 |
| 15 | No.130 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II | +07.439 |
| 16 | No.5 | Porsche 911 GT3 R | +08.465 |
| 17 | No.75 | Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II | +09.515 |
| 18 | No.786 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO II | +09.941 |
| 19 | No.23 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +10.235 |
| 20 | No.64 | Ford Mustang GT3 | +10.732 |
When is Verstappen competing in the 2026 NLS2 race?
| Date | Local Time (CET) | UK Time (GMT) | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | 08:30 | 07:30 | Qualifying |
| March 21 | 11:42 | 10:42 | Formation lap |
| March 21 | 12:00 | 11:00 | Race start |
| March 21 | 16:00 | 15:00 | Race finish |
How to watch Verstappen's Nurburgring race
You can watch Verstappen's GT racing exploits right here on GPFans.
Alternatively, you can catch the action on the official NLS YouTube channel, while live timings and onboard feeds of the cars will be available on their website, meaning you can follow Verstappen's full journey around the 21 kilometre track.
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