Max Verstappen's Mercedes-AMG GT3 team were beaten to pole position during Top Qualifying at the Nurburgring on Sunday (April 19).
It was Thierry Vermeulen - supported by Verstappen and son of the Dutchman's manager Raymond Vermeulen - who secured pole position for Race 2 (NLS5 round) of the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers by clocking the fastest lap in Top Qualifying.
Driving the Ferrari for Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi, he completed a lap in 8:10.275. Lucas Auer participated in the shootout instead of the F1 champion with the Verstappen Racing-AMG, securing fifth place.
For Schnabl Engineering, however, Top Qualifying was a day best forgotten. Alessio Picariello, piloting the Dunlop-Porsche, hit the guardrail at Mutkurve and had to return to the pits with damage.
Meanwhile, Sven Muller crashed the Falken-Porsche at Hatzenbach, while the first seven drivers avoided the slow zone imposed ahead of Muller’s Porsche during their initial push, but those following were not as fortunate.
Shortly after the yellow flags were lifted, marshals at Hatzenbach were called back into action when Yuichi Nakayama’s Toyo-Mercedes-AMG came to a halt.
One by one, the lap times dropped in until Vermeulen emerged at the top and the Dutchman will now start Sunday’s NLS5 race on the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife from pole position.
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Nurburgring Top Qualifying Results: NLS5 2026
| Position | Car Number | Team | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo26 | 8:10.275 |
| 2 | 23 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | + 00.001 |
| 3 | 16 | Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II | +00.965 |
| 4 | 911 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +02.033 |
| 5 | 3 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +03.076 |
| 6 | 26 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +03.202 |
| 7 | 11 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +03.649 |
| 8 | 48 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +03.809 |
| 9 | 80 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | + 04.034 |
| 10 | 5 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26 | +04.218 |
| 11 | 65 | Ford Mustang GT3 | + 04.259 |
| 12 | 84 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 | +04.932 |
| 13 | 123 | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26| +05.773 | |
| 14 | 77 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +06.167 |
| 15 | 7 | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 | +06.659 |
| 16 | 47 | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | +07.080 |
| 17 | 99 | BMW M4 GT3 EVO | +07.525 |
| 18 | 71 | Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II | +07.738 |
| 19 | 69 | McLaren 720S-GT3 | +08.346 |
| 20 | 34 | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | +08.438 |
NLS5 Race start times
The NLS5 race gets under way at 12:00 UK time (13:00 local time) and runs for four hours through to 16:00 UK time (17:00 local).
How to watch Verstappen's Nurburgring race
You can watch Verstappen's GT racing exploits right here on GPFans, check out our live stream below:
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