Nurburgring 24 Hours 2026: Full schedule and session times as Max Verstappen bids for glory

One of motorsport's most iconic circuits plays host to one of its most iconic events this week as F1 great Max Verstappen bids for glory at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

The four-time world champion has been a regular fixture on the terrifying Nordschleife circuit in Germany, racing several times in NLS combat.

This weekend the 28-year-old Dutchman takes on his biggest challenge yet, a race over 24 gruelling hours against 40 other GT3 teams.

Verstappen will again drive for his very own Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing, and we have all the detail you need to follow the big race live over four thrilling days (Thursday May 14 through to Sunday May 17).

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Nurburgring 24 Hours Schedule

The action begins on Thursday May 14 when the first qualifying session runs for two hours from 13:15 to 15:15 local time (12:15-14:15 UK or 07:15-09:15 Eastern in the US). Later that day, the second session takes place in near darkness from 20:00 to 23:30 (19:30-22:30 UK or 14:30-17:30 ET). Drivers, including Verstappen, must complete a number of laps in the dark to be eligible for a nighttime stint during the race.

The action continues on Friday May 15 with a crucial day starting at 10:15 with Top Qualifying 1 immediately followed by Top Qualifying 2. A third qualifying session is scheduled from 12:00 to 13:05 (11:00-12:05 UK, 06:00-07:05 ET), and pole position and the starting grid are decided during Top Qualifying 3 at 13:35 (12:35 UK, 07:35 ET).

Saturday May 16 begins with a warm-up session from 10:00 to 11:00, the final act before the 24-hour race begins at 15:00 (14:00 UK, 09:00 ET).

How does Qualifying work at the Nurburgring 24 Hours?

Welcome to a pretty complex qualifying system, at least compared to F1.

For the first starting group - which includes Verstappen's SP 9 (GT3) class, AT1, SP-X, and SP-Pro classes - the first and second qualifying sessions count as free practice.

Grid positions are set during Top Qualifying, and cars competing in Top Qualifying are not allowed to race in the third qualifying session.

For all other classes, the starting grid is determined across all three qualifying sessions, only the best lap time matters regardless of when it was set.

How to watch the race live

Local organisers will stream all the sessions live and we will embed the live streams for all sessions in our articles across the weekend. So you can watch all of the action live without leaving GPFans.

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