The 2026 edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and highly anticipated endurance races in recent years. With an exceptional 161-car entry list and huge global media attention, this year’s event has gained even greater momentum thanks to the historic first appearance of Max Verstappen. The legendary race, held on the massive 25.3-kilometre combined layout featuring both the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix circuit, retains its classic multi-class format, with everything from top-tier GT3 machinery in the SP9 category to smaller production-based entries sharing the track. Here is our full preview of the race, which serves as the second round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge by SRO.
Verstappen targets overall victory
Much of the spotlight is naturally focused on Max Verstappen’s debut, to the point that Nürburgring organisers have already declared the event sold out—an impressive feat even for a race that traditionally attracts massive crowds of passionate endurance racing fans. The four-time Formula 1 world champion is entered in the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo run by his own Verstappen Racing operation, with technical support provided by Winward Racing.
Despite the prestige of a line-up that also includes Nürburgring specialists Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella, and Lucas Auer, the team faces a steeper challenge than originally expected. Due to issues encountered during the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) preparation races, along with penalties including disqualification in NLS2, the #3 Mercedes failed to secure direct access to Top Qualifying 3.
That means Verstappen’s team will need to fight through the earlier qualifying sessions on Thursday and Friday in order to climb the starting order and keep its hopes of pole position alive. It adds another layer of difficulty to what was already expected to be an incredibly demanding debut.
History suggests BMW may start as favourite
When it comes to the favourites for outright victory, the German manufacturers once again field exceptionally strong line-ups.
BMW, through Rowe Racing, will be aiming to defend its 2025 victory after the success achieved by Raffaele Marciello, Augusto Farfus, John Edwards Krohn, and Kelvin van der Linde, who inherited victory after the Porsche EMA penalty drama. Rowe brings two BMW M4 GT3 entries, the #1 and #99, while Schubert Motorsport adds the #77 car featuring Philipp Eng, Robin Frijns, Sheldon van der Linde Weerts, and Marco Wittmann.
BMW remains the most successful manufacturer in Nürburgring 24 Hours history, with 21 overall victories recorded between 1970 and last year, making the Munich brand a natural benchmark once again.
Porsche, meanwhile, arrives with 13 overall victories to its name—and fittingly, 13 Porsche 911 GT3 R entries in the SP9 class. Manthey’s iconic “Grello,” driven by Kevin Estre, Thomas Preining, and Ayhancan Guven, is widely expected to be one of the benchmark contenders, but the grid also includes strong entries from Falken, two cars from Italian squad Dinamic GT, the Lionspeed GP pairing, and Dunlop Motorsport.
Audi’s presence is, as always, impossible to ignore, with the Ingolstadt manufacturer chasing its eighth Nürburgring 24 Hours victory. The #16 Scherer Sport PHX line-up of Christopher Haase, Mattia Green, and Frank Stippler Sims looks particularly competitive heading into the weekend.
Mercedes, beyond the Verstappen Racing headline act, has four additional AMG GT3 contenders, including the standout Ravenol Team entry featuring Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Maximilian Martin, and Fabian Schiller.
Ferrari relies on Kondo by Rinaldi, while Lamborghini’s ABT entries draw attention
Looking beyond the German brands, Ferrari will be represented among the 40 GT3 entries in SP9 by the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo fielded by Kondo by Rinaldi, with Vincent Abril Neubauer, Thierry Vermeulen, Dennis Marschall, and Daniel Perel sharing driving duties. The Italian manufacturer will be hoping to repeat the dominant 2023 performance delivered by Frikadelli Racing.
Lamborghini remains committed to the Huracán GT3 Evo2 platform, with particular focus on the #84 entry driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Patric Niederhauser, alongside the #130 car featuring Andrea Mapelli, Nicky Catsburg, and Nick Yelloly—both prepared by Team ABT.
Aston Martin also deserves serious attention, particularly the Walkenhorst Motorsport #34 Vantage, where Italian ace Mattia Drudi joins Nicki Thiim, Felipe Fernandez Laser, and Christian Krognes in a highly competitive crew.
Ford is placing major hopes on Haupt Racing Team (HRT), which will attempt to challenge for overall honours with the Mustang GT3 Evo.
Last but certainly not least is the McLaren 720S GT3 from Doerr Motorsports, racing in a special livery paying tribute to the Benetton Formula 1 car that carried Michael Schumacher to the 1995 world championship. Behind the wheel will be Timo Glock, Timo Scheider, Ben Doerr, and the consistently rapid Marvin Kirchhofer.
2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours full schedule
The qualifying sessions will be broadcast live on the official Nürburgring 24 Hours and GT World YouTube channels. Italian viewers will also be able to watch the race live on Sky Sport F1’s YouTube channel, featuring commentary from Ivan Nesta, Marco Nesi, and special guests.
Here is the full weekend schedule:
Thursday, May 14
13:15 | Qualifying 1
20:00 | Qualifying 2
Friday, May 15
10:15 | Top Qualifying 1
11:05 | Top Qualifying 2
12:00 | Qualifying 3
13:35 | Top Qualifying 3
Saturday, May 17
15:00 | Race start – live on Sky Sport F1 YouTube channel
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