F1 champion Max Verstappen sends fans into a frenzy as Nurburgring showpiece heads for a sellout

Juncadella, Verstappen and Gounon after NLS2 — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen sends fans into a frenzy as Nurburgring showpiece heads for a sellout

Max Verstappen is taking to a different racing series later in May

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 9 May 2026 13:57 Updated: 08:42

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen's venture in the iconic endurance race around the Nurburgring Nordschleife is likely to be in front of a sell-out crowd.

Verstappen is once again taking to the Nordschleife later this month for the 24 Hours of Nurbrugring, an event he has been practicing for with various NLS races this year.

The Dutchman will be driving the No.3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for the Verstappen Racing team around the Nordschleife, alongside team-mates Jules Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer.

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Entries had to be turned down by organisers several weeks ago, with the 150-entry field being filled up for the first time since before the COVID pandemic, largely down to the presence of Verstappen.

And now, organisers have announced that various ticket categories have completely sold out already, and that they expect the limited tickets still available to be snapped up soon.

They have announced that weekend tickets and race tickets are completely sold out, but there are a few event tickets left available, meaning a total of around 7,500 fans can still secure a ticket. This concerns four-day tickets and single day tickets for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. The start of the race takes place on Saturday, but that day is now also completely sold out.

When is the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race?

Verstappen's 24 Hours of Nurburgring race gets underway on Saturday, May 16 at 3pm local time (2pm BST), and will last until the same time on the Sunday.

The four-day event actually starts on Thursday, May 14, however, with free practice and various circuit activities.

Friday May 15 then sees qualifying, which is going to look a little different for the 2026 event. Organiser ADAC Nordrhein has adopted a knockout system inspired by the structure used in F1.

The revamped 'Top Qualifying' session is divided into three parts: Top-Q1, Top-Q2, and Top-Q3, and is reserved for the highest-performing classes in the field, including the SP9 class for GT3 cars, in which Verstappen will compete.

In the first session, all eligible cars that have not pre-qualified take part. The 20 fastest cars then move on to the next round, with up to twelve eventually competing in individual timed laps during Top-Q3 to claim pole position.

Fans can catch all the live action from home on Red Bull TV and YouTube.

Schedule for ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring 2026
Day	Time (UK)	Session / Activity
Thursday May 14	07:30	Circuit activities commence & free practice
Friday May 15	11:40	Top Qualifying 1 (Top-Q1)
Friday May 15	15:00	Top Qualifying 2 & 3 (Top-Q2 & Top-Q3)
Saturday May 16	14:00	Start of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring
Sunday May 17	14:00	Finish of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring