Verstappen Qualifies Team Mercedes for Nürburgring 24h Pole Shootout

Verstappen Advances Through Multi-Stage Qualifying

Max Verstappen participated in the Nürburgring 24 Hours qualifying format on May 14-15, 2026, piloting the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing GT3 entry through a series of knockout qualification sessions. According to RacingNews365, the event featured a progressive elimination structure, with teams needing to progress through Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 before advancing to the Top Qualifying rounds that determined pole position.

Night Running and Weather Challenges

The qualifying programme included sessions run in challenging conditions. PlanetF1 reported that Verstappen finished third on the opening day of running and crucially secured laps in darkness on the Nordschleife. RacingNews365 noted that heavy rain throughout the second session had a major impact on overall times for the day, adding complexity to the competitive order.

Dramatic Progression to Pole Shootout

Verstappen's progression through the knockout stages proved nervy. According to The Race, the F1 champion booked his team a place in the Nürburgring 24 Hours pole position shootout after a nervy end to his final qualifying session. RacingNews365 confirmed that Lucas Auer, representing Team Verstappen in an earlier phase, secured a place in Top Qualifying 2, keeping the #3 Mercedes in contention.

GPFans reported that Verstappen made it through to the pole shootout, though described the qualifying ordeal as 'super difficult'. The driver himself commented on the challenge, with Speedweek.com quoting Verstappen saying the effort «was hard» (translation from German source material).

Final Qualifying Format

The final stages saw multiple Top Qualifying phases on May 15, with PlanetF1, RacingNews365, and GPFans all covering results from Top Qualifying 1, 2, and 3 sessions throughout the day. These knockout rounds progressively narrowed the field toward the ultimate pole position determination.