Verstappen Racing ninth in warm-up for 24h Nurburgring

Published on 16 May 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Verstappen Racing set the ninth fastest time during the warm-up session ahead of the 54th edition of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Jules Gounon was at the wheel of the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 this time around, meaning Max Verstappen, Dani Juncadella and Lucas Auer did not take part in the session.

The session starts on a dry track, although clouds can be seen all around the 25.3-kilometre-long “Green Hell”. During the first fifteen minutes, Verstappen Racing is not seen on track. Once Gounon heads out, he sets the second fastest time behind the #1 BMW, last year’s race winner.

During the rest of the session, the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 does not return to the circuit. Several other cars are seen using their windscreen wipers, indicating light rain in parts of the track. In the end, Gounon drops back to P9, concluding the preparations for the race later in the day.

For Verstappen Racing, Juncadella will take the start of the race. The plan is for Max to complete several stints during the opening hours.

As for the weather forecast, temperatures are expected to hover around 11 degrees at the start and during the opening hours of the race, with rain or hail showers potentially passing over the circuit. During the evening, temperatures are set to drop to around seven to eight degrees, while the possibility of rain remains.

The night is expected to be cold, with temperatures only just staying above freezing point. Sunday is forecast to remain largely dry with plenty of sunshine, while temperatures are expected to rise to around eleven to twelve degrees by the finish.

Click here for the results of the warm-up session for the 2026 24h Nürburgring.

The 54th edition of the 24h Nürburgring starts on Saturday 16 May at 15:00 CEST and finishes 24 hours later on Sunday 17 May. You can follow the race live via Viaplay.com, Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Motorsports YouTube channel.