There has been no shortage of drama for visitors at this year’s 24h Nürburgring. The action, already hectic at times, was made even more intense by the weather: a passing rain shower left the track slippery, caused several off-track moments and triggered a flurry of tyre changes. At the end of the third hour, the Verstappen Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 was leading, having been driven to P1 by the four-time world champion himself during a double stint. The Grello Porsche #911 had also worked its way past the previously leading Konrad Lamborghini #7, which had dropped back to third.
#1 Farfus / Marciello / Pepper / van der Linde (BMW M4 GT3 EVO)
17:49 – Jordan Pepper runs wide with two wheels off the track in the Kesselchen section but manages to keep the car under control.
#3 Verstappen / Auer / Gounon / Juncadella (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
16:09 – Max Verstappen briefly runs off track near the big Sprunghügel and loses a significant amount of time.
16:23 – He is right on the tail of Christian Engelhart in the #7 Stalidzane / Paul / Engelhart / Lefterov (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2), waiting for his chance.
16:28 – Verstappen moves past Christian Engelhart in the #7 Stalidzane / Paul / Engelhart / Lefterov (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2) in the Sabine Schmitz turn.
16:50 – Verstappen squeezes past Jesse Krohn in the #47 Fukuzumi / Gamou / Krohn / Pittard (Mercedes-AMG GT3) in the Kesselchen section and ends up on the grass.
17:11 – The car is the third of the front-runners to pit. Max Verstappen stays in the cockpit and begins the second half of his double stint.
17:52 – Max Verstappen first gets past Dennis Olsen in the #67 Olsen / Mies / Vervisch / Stippler (Ford Mustang GT3 EVO (2026)) and then Christian Krognes in the #34 Krognes / Drudi / Thiim / Fernandez Laser (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO), taking over the lead.
#7 Stalidzane / Paul / Engelhart / Lefterov (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
17:10 – Pit stop.
17:39 – Maximilian Paul: “I had a good start. I moved up directly from sixth to fourth. The car was simply top-notch. Super well prepared, super fast! The first stint was a cool fight with Kevin Estre, who also moved well up the order. Now we’ll make sure, as a team, that we take the right decisions in this weather chaos and keep getting through it well. We’re sticking to our safe strategy. The atmosphere out there is incredible: so many fans standing there, setting off rockets or fireworks. It’s really cool to see that. Driving the opening stint is of course always an honour.”
#8 Veremenko / SELV / Erhart (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II)
16:36 – Undercuts the minimum pit-stop time and receives a 33-second time penalty.
#10 Wasel / Lenz / Kruse / Dralle (VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h)
17:45 – Is pushed back into the pits.
#16 Haase / Sims / Green (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II)
17:08 – Ben Green collides with #898 in the Flugplatz section – both can continue.
17:19 – Ben Green: “We were able to keep up pretty well with most of the field. Towards the end we struggled a little, simply because of normal tyre wear. Overall, we’re pretty happy. Of course, some cars move completely out of the way and others make it a bit harder, but that’s totally normal here. So I’d say nothing unusual.”
17:23 – It and #47 Fukuzumi / Gamou / Krohn / Pittard (Mercedes-AMG GT3) both go off at Pflanzgarten and hit the guardrail. Both cars come to a halt beside the track.
#30 Kim / Bruins / Cho / Seefried (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)
16:13 – Marco Seefried: “I have to say, it’s been a while since I drove the start. The spectators this year – what was going on during the formation lap – are incredible. So thanks to the team for letting me do that, it will leave a lasting impression. The opening lap was turbulent, as so often. Then the BMW was suddenly sideways right in front of me. That left me stuck in the grass for a long time and I lost many positions. I also had another big moment when a Cayman overlooked me. I had to go over a high kerb on the right. But the car still feels okay.”
16:36 – Undercut the minimum pit stop time and receives a 38-second time penalty.
#36 Reeh / Lachenmayer / Walkenhorst / Scherer (BMW E89 Z4 (EVO 2013))
17:28 – Also switches to wet tyres.
17:37 – Christian Scherer: “Towards the end of my stint it became a bit greasy, but it was still okay. Then it suddenly started pouring. That’s why we switched to wet tyres. On the Döttinger Höhe it really started raining heavily, and from then on it was simply a case of getting the lap finished.”
#37 Dumarey / Wahl / Lönnroth / Konnerth (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3)
17:39 – Running slowly in the Brünnchen area with a puncture on the left rear.
17:45 – Switches from wet tyres to slicks.
17:49 – Back in the pits again, the car is rolled into the garage for work on the left rear.
17:53 – Guido Dumarey: “I think I was driving too fast on wet tyres. But there was also a lot of carbon debris lying around, and that’s quite a problem.”
#40 Posavac / Funke / Strycek / Carmona Chavez (BMW E89 Z4 (EVO 2013))
17:33 – Spins in the rain at the exit of the Veedol Chicane and slides across the grass.
#45 Perel / Marschall / Vermeulen / Neubauer (Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo26)
17:08 – Thierry Vermeulen hits the barrier hard at marshal post 68 (Hatzenbach). He had earlier put two wheels on the grass while overtaking and then lost control. Severe front-end damage suggests the Kondo Ferrari’s race may be over.
#59 Schädler / Weishar / Naumann / Dörr (McLaren Artura Trophy Evo)
16:18 – Phil Dörr: “I got through well. We didn’t have such a good starting position because we didn’t focus on qualifying. Finding the right tyre pressure was difficult. There’s still something we can gain there. Unfortunately, it looks like we now have radiator damage. We’ll have to see how quickly we can repair that.”
#61 Adelson / Arnold / Green / Van der Zande (HWA EVO.R)
16:16 – HWA team principal Martin Marx: “So far everything is running smoothly. We’ve now completed the first pit stop for each car, and now we’ll wait and see. At the moment the weather gods are still being kind to us as well. We have a slight drizzle in certain places from time to time, but it’s not as if it’s putting us at any disadvantage or becoming dangerous.”
17:23 – Lance David Arnold: “It was actually a pretty relaxed stint—so far. Things are heating up, but it’s fun. I only had one or two longer yellow flag periods; other than that, everything went well. We got off to a good start in the race. Now we’ll just have to see how it goes. Every year I ask myself, how can you possibly top the fans’ enthusiasm? And they’ve done it again! Despite the weather conditions and all the muddy scenes you’ve seen. People are just cheering from the fence. You see, everyone has a cell phone in their hand, filming something, taking pictures. Then you see smoke or a flare somewhere again. That’s just great, because I always think it’s good when there are emotions involved and the people out there really show their love for a brand or a specific car. That’s awesome.”
#63 Gebhardt / Holstad / Ludwig / Spengler (HWA EVO.R)
17:24 – Bruno Spengler: “The start was good, it all went smoothly. The track is a bit slippery and a little dirty here and there. There were also a few raindrops. Our car was running very well, it’s fun. We have to keep going as we have so far, without mistakes. The atmosphere outside by the track is insane. So many people came to our car on the starting grid and were fascinated. It reminds me a bit of the good old DTM days, when there were also so many spectators and we could hardly walk to the grid. It’s nice to experience that.”
#64 Maini / Scherer / Schumacher / Stippler (Ford Mustang GT3 EVO (2026))
16:07 – Frank Stippler is deemed responsible for the collision with the Opel Corsa and must remain in the pits for an additional ten seconds during his next pit stop.
17:20 – Frank Stippler: “Now that the initial phase is over, I have to say: basically, everything is just as usual. The 24-hour race is a sprint race from the very start, and that’s how it’s being driven. The situation at the Hohenrain chicane was, in my view, a typical racing incident. My opinion is: if I were driving all by myself in such a slow car, I would go wide at that spot and let the GT3 pack pass. The fact that Volker sees it differently and wants to stick to his line is fine, even if I disagree.”
#75 Fugel / Fugel / Leuchter / Coronel (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II)
16:38 – The team does not serve an imposed time penalty after the opening lap and therefore receives a 34-second time penalty.
16:40 – Dominik Fugel crashed in the Schwedenkreuz area. The Audi R8 is heavily damaged. He had previously suffered a puncture on the right rear.
#77 Wittmann / Eng / Weerts / Frijns (BMW M4 GT3 EVO)
17:02 – Marco Wittmann handed over to Philipp Eng and reported: “For me, the opening phase wasn’t hectic at all. Of course it’s always a nice feeling to be allowed to drive the start, especially with the formation lap and the many fans on the track. It’s a special experience. I had a good start and then tried to get into a rhythm, even if that means maybe letting one or two cars go by. I don’t think we quite have the pace at the moment. Maybe that will change when the track gains more grip. So for us now it’s simply drive, drive, drive, and then we’ll see what happens.”
#80 Engel / Stolz / Schiller / Martin (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
16:27 – Maro Engel passes Marco Wittmann in the #77 Wittmann / Eng / Weerts / Frijns (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) on the start-finish straight.
17:32 – Maro Engel after his stint: “It went well. We tried to cover as many positions as possible. I think we did a good job. The strategy looks good, too. We’ve been out on the track longer than some of the other teams, which means we’re ahead of them. We’re trying to work our way back to the front and keep pushing it out there, lap by lap.”
17:35 – Maro Engel: “Those were two good stints. Of course I’m trying to move the car forward step by step. It looks quite good. On corrected positions we’re in seventh place. The car is running well! Huge thanks to the crew for the hard work. They prepared the car superbly again. The atmosphere is gigantic. Truly gigantic. What’s going on out there is impressive and always wonderful to see.”
#81 Klingmann / de Wilde / de Phillippi / Verhagen (BMW M3 Touring 24h)
16:43 – Jens Klingmann is able to put Max Verstappen under pressure but then turns into the pit lane.
16:51 – Jens Klingmann: “We want to bring the car to the finish and we’re not fighting as hard as the others. I think that’s okay too. It’s great fun. First of all, we wanted to settle safely into the race. We had a solid, good start and are now right up there at the front. Even compared with the other GT3 cars, we have a solid pace. We want to get through the night, and tomorrow morning when the sun comes up, we can still start pushing.”
#82 Marco Vitonelli / Schröder / Pydys / Brandl (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
16:37 – Undercut the minimum pit stop time and receives a 30-second time penalty.
#88 Van Dam / Sasaki / Iguchi / Kubo (Subaru WRX)
16:56 – Carlo Van Dam: “We weren’t fast enough in qualifying, which meant we were behind a few slow GT4s that are much faster than us on the straight. It’s impossible to overtake there. I lost a few positions because of that. But after that I gained many positions again and took the lead in SP4T.”
#91 Ertl / Ertl / Ertl / Benndorf (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991))
17:35 – Receives a 45-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
17:55 – The team changes the front splitter.
#112 Becker / Spölgen / Zimmermann / Küpper (BMW 325i (e90) *)
17:14 – Undercut the minimum stationary pit time – 40-second time penalty.
#130 Mapelli / Catsburg / Yelloly (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
17:56 – The leaders from the first hour are back inside the top 10, now running in tenth place.
#171 Walker / Ullström / Hagnauer / Klasen (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS)
17:27 – Is in the pits and switches to wet tyres.
#187 Link / Wüstenhagen / Fourie / Wiskirchen (BMW M4 GT4 (G82))
17:35 – Nick Wüstenhagen runs straight on through the gravel in the Veedol Chicane.
#195 Gott / Farran / Hoenjet (BMW M240i Racing Cup*)
16:59 – The pole-setter in the BMW M240i class gets sideways at Eiskurve and hits #108 Schneider / Grilli / Ganser / Bäther (BMW 325i (e90) *). The BMW 325i can slowly continue on to the pits. As for the M240i, it doesn’t currently look like it will be able to drive back to the pits on its own.
17:19 – Has to be recovered by tow truck in so-called Pflanzgarten II after the accident.
#277 Müller / Seibel / Geisler / Harris (BMW 318ti (E36) *)
17:02 – The BMW initially continues slowly on the GP track before returning to the pits via the short route.
17:41 – Running slowly in the Eiskurve section.
#300 Kriese / Geilfus / Neumann / Becker (Dacia Logan)
17:26 – The Dacia spins in the Hatzenbach section.
17:40 – Swaps cut slicks for standard ones.
#302 Lauck / Kim / Wallenwein / Azcona (Hyundai Motor Company ELANTRA N1 RP)
17:35 – Receives a 45-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
#320 Smudo / Bollerslev / van Ramshorst / López Cesaratto (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1))
16:37 – Undercut the minimum pit stop time and receives a 30-second time penalty.
#380 Strycek / Schäffer / Morhin / Soumagne (Opel Corsa GS Line 130*)
16:18 – Volker Strycek: “It went quite well. I also don’t know why I got hit by the Mustang. Unfortunately the front suspension was damaged as a result. We’ll see if it still works. Otherwise it was really good and everyone was driving very fairly.”
#440 Böhmisch / Ebener / Müller / Quante (Porsche Cayman CM12*)
17:14 – Undercut the minimum stationary pit time – 36-second time penalty.
#474 Hrubesch / Hebig / Tillmann / Wolpertinger (VW Golf GTI *)
16:59 – Boris Hrubesch: “It went quite well, I stayed out of all the nonsense at the beginning. The GT3s were driving pretty sensibly at first, but got pretty wild toward the end. The way they’re driving, it’s only a matter of time before there’s a crash here.”
#480 Dupré / Nett / Nett (Audi S3-Lim*)
16:22 – Jürgen Nett was able to move into the lead of the VT2 field during the first stint.
16:36 – Undercut the minimum pit stop time and receives a 38-second time penalty.
#577 Obermann / Leissing / Rosam / Trompeter (Cupra Leon Competición TCR)
17:25 – The Cupra Leon is stationary beside the track in the Schumacher S after a spin.
#632 Broadbent / Brown / Charoudin / Metzger (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1))
16:53 – Manuel Metzger: “It was cool. I started from pole position in the second starting group, then at the start I had to let the Cup 2 cars go a bit. But then I was able to work my way back up and keep pace well with the three leaders in Cup 2. That was fun. Towards the end we were a bit tight on fuel, so I was sweating it out all the way to the pits. We took a bit of a risk there. But everything worked out and we only lost a few seconds. So far it’s going well. In AT2 we’re first, so that’s fine.”
#650 Markert / Albers / Baztarrica / Fübrich (BMW M240i Racing Cup*)
16:30 – Impact at marshal post 37 (exit of Bilstein turn).
16:33 – In the Xiaomi turn area, Benjamin Albers takes out the leading TCR Hyundai #830 Basseng / Lauck / Bastian / Azcona (Hyundai Motor Company ELANTRA N TCR) and can then only limp back to the pits. The Hyundai is able to continue unaffected.
17:39 – Addendum regarding the collision with #830 in the Xiaomi corner:
Benjamin Albers is penalized and must remain at the next pit stop for ten seconds longer.
#653 Farquini / Pitch / Soyez / Bugane (BMW M240i Racing Cup*)
16:39 – Stationary before marshal post 193 (Döttinger Höhe).
#777 Krohn / Jönsson / Hamprecht / Huisman (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
16:39 – Undercut the minimum pit stop time and receives a 34-second time penalty.
#821 Heidler / Steiger / Epp / Weber (Audi RS3 LMS DSG*)
17:24 – Spin in the Hatzenbach section.
#830 Basseng / Lauck / Bastian / Azcona (Hyundai Motor Company ELANTRA N TCR)
16:27 – By now, the Hyundai Elantra N TCR is traditionally the fastest front-wheel-drive car in the field and currently sits 59th overall.
#878 Hill / Peeters / Schlichenmeier / Donkel (BMW M2 Racing (G87)*)
17:15 – Tim Peeters receives a warning for an “unsafe release” back onto the track.
#900 Hardt / Hites Michelson / Koslowski / Meijer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
17:43 – Receives a 45-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
#911 Estre / Güven / Preining / Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)
17:10 – Comes into the pits while leading.
17:12 – Güven takes over the Grello from Preining at the pit stop.
17:18 – Thomas Preining: “I managed to pull off a few cool overtaking moves; after Kevin’s sensational opening stint we’re right at the front. I was able to keep the car up there. The car is running well, though traffic makes it a bit dangerous. We have to push hard. But everyone has to when there’s something at stake.”