Max Verstappen Nurburgring 24h Qualifiers LIVE: Watch F1 star for free

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen Nurburgring 24h Qualifiers LIVE: How to watch F1 star for free and full schedule

Max Verstappen returns to the Nordschleife for Nurburgring 24h qualifying

Originally written by Vincent Bruins. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 15 April 2026 16:54

Due to the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Formula 1 action will be on pause this weekend.

However, Max Verstappen won’t be resting. The Red Bull driver is set to compete in the ADAC 24h Nurburgring qualifiers, and GPFans has put together a guide for the weekend’s schedule.

Verstappen has signed up for the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring on May 16 and 17.

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In March, he prepared for his 24-hour racing debut by competing in the second round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series alongside Jules Gounon and Dani Juncadella.

Now that his F1 Jeddah commitment is off the table, he’ll share the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing car, operated by Winward Racing, with Lucas Auer. Although the Limburger initially crossed the finish line in NLS2 with an advantage of nearly one minute, his team was later disqualified for using one set of tyres too many over the course of Saturday.

Alternate Nurburgring layout

The 24h qualifiers consist of two four-hour races. While the main 24h Nurburgring event doesn’t count toward the Nurburgring Endurance Series championship, the qualifiers do.

On Saturday, the fourth round of the series serves as the first qualifying race, and on Sunday the fifth round (NLS5) doubles as the second qualifier.

There’s a twist, though. Unlike regular NLS races, where drivers tackle the hairpin turn and weave through the Mercedes-Arena before joining the old grand prix circuit after turn 4 (similar to the DTM layout), the qualifiers and the upcoming 24h Nurburgring use a modified configuration.

A tight chicane now kicks off the lap, bypassing the Mercedes-Arena, before the racers complete the circuit via the Goodyear-Kehre and Michael Schumacher-S.

To learn more about how the qualifiers work and what impact they have on the 24h Nürburgring, click here.

Schedule

The races will feature German and English commentary on the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nurburgring’s YouTube channel, and you can also catch the action on Viaplay with Dutch commentary.

All times below are UK time

Session	Day	Time
Test Day	Friday, April 17	11:15 – 13:45
Qualification for Race 1	Saturday, April 18	7:30 – 9:00
Race 1	Saturday, April 18	16:30 – 20:30
Qualification for Race 2	Sunday, April 19	7:15 – 9:45
Top Qualifying for Race 2	Sunday, April 19	9:40 – 10:40
Race 2	Sunday, April 19	12:00 – 16:00