Max Verstappen successfully completed an important milestone during Qualifying 2 for the 2026 Nurburgring 24H after finishing the mandatory night lap in extremely wet conditions at the Nordschleife.
The second qualifying session started at 8 pm local time under conditions vastly different from earlier in the day after heavy rain swept across the famous German circuit.
Lucas Auer opened the session for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and initially posted a 10m08.131s before improving to a 9m51.566s.
The car was then handed over to Jules Gounon, who recorded a 9m44.949s lap before Dani Juncadella continued the programme with a 9m34.713s effort.
Torrential rain later forced the majority of teams to remain inside the garage for an extended period during the night session.
The conditions created a significant concern for Verstappen because Nurburgring 24H regulations require every driver to complete at least one lap at night regardless of the weather.
Verstappen eventually ventured onto the track while conditions remained extremely wet and carefully completed a solitary lap before returning to the pit lane to fulfil the mandatory requirement.
Although overall lap times did not improve because of the weather, all drivers still gained valuable experience driving the Nordschleife in wet nighttime conditions.
The top 49 teams now advance to Friday’s Top Qualifying sessions, with Team Verstappen Racing expected to be a strong contender for pole position at the Nurburgring 24H.
Max Verstappen successfully completed an important milestone during Qualifying 2 for the 2026 Nurburgring 24H after finishing the mandatory night lap in extremely wet conditions at the Nordschleife.
The second qualifying session started at 8 pm local time under conditions vastly different from earlier in the day after heavy rain swept across the famous German circuit.
Lucas Auer opened the session for Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing and initially posted a 10m08.131s before improving to a 9m51.566s.
The car was then handed over to Jules Gounon, who recorded a 9m44.949s lap before Dani Juncadella continued the programme with a 9m34.713s effort.
Torrential rain later forced the majority of teams to remain inside the garage for an extended period during the night session.
The conditions created a significant concern for Verstappen because Nurburgring 24H regulations require every driver to complete at least one lap at night regardless of the weather.
Verstappen eventually ventured onto the track while conditions remained extremely wet and carefully completed a solitary lap before returning to the pit lane to fulfil the mandatory requirement.
Although overall lap times did not improve because of the weather, all drivers still gained valuable experience driving the Nordschleife in wet nighttime conditions.
The top 49 teams now advance to Friday’s Top Qualifying sessions, with Team Verstappen Racing expected to be a strong contender for pole position at the Nurburgring 24H.
Read Also
Max Verstappen finished third during Qualifying 1 for the 2026 Nurburgring 24H with Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.
Watch Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying 2 live as Max Verstappen returns to the Nordschleife with Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!