Verstappen and Auer qualify sixth for the four-hour 24h Qualifiers race tonight

Published on 18 April 2026 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen and Lucas Auer qualified sixth for the first race of the Nürburgring 24h Qualifiers event. The Qualifiers is a separate event held ahead of the main Nürburgring 24-hour race in May, allowing an opportunity for teams to practice and prepare. Driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Verstappen Racing, the duo are competing against 126 other teams. The weekend includes two four-hour races, with the second scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Update: Following qualifying, Auer had to report to the stewards due to contacting with the #941 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, causing the car to spin. The team received a three-place grid penalty, so Verstappen Racing will start the race from ninth position.

Qualifying for the race began at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and was scheduled to last 90 minutes. About 20 minutes into the session, it was red-flagged following a heavy crash from driver Anders Buchard, who hit the guardrail at high speed in his Aston Marton in the infamous Adenauer Forest section. The session was halted for around 50 minutes to allow for repairs to the barriers. Thankfully for the remaining teams, the clock was stopped during the interruption.

Auer was in the car for the first half of qualifying and clocked a 8:13.012 time on the 25.3 kilometer Nürburgring Nordschleife, more infamously known as the Green Hell. Max drove the second half of the session and clocked a time of 8:12.302, ultimately placing the duo in sixth place. Nailing a flawless lap is infamously tricky on the circuit because of traffic (having to navigate around competitors from slower classes) and yellow flags.

Pole position went to the #23 BMW M4 GT3 Evo from Gamota Racing, ahead of two Mercedes cars: #11 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm and #47 KCMG.

The first race will take place today from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. On Sunday, qualifying will take place from 8:15 till 9:45 a.m. Another top-tier qualifying session for the fastest cars will take place from 10:40 to 11:40 a.m. Sunday’s race will take place from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Viaplay will be broadcasting both races live, but Verstappen Sim Racing will be broadcasting Max’s performance, featuring live onboard footage and a giveaway where 1:2 scale 2017 model helmets signed by Max will be awarded: https://www.twitch.tv/teamredline/

Click here for the results of the qualifying for the race on Saturday 18 April, 24h Qualifiers.