Qualifying 1 had already given the 2026 24h Nürburgring weekend a chaotic start, with cold weather, damp patches, Code 60 phases, rain and hail preventing the field from finding rhythm before Qualifying 2. Fabian Schiller made the most of a brief, clear window in the #80 Team Ravenol Mercedes-AMG GT3, setting the fastest time with an 8:14.957 ahead of Raffaele Marciello’s #1 ROWE Racing BMW and Max Verstappen’s #3 Winward Mercedes-AMG. The session also featured several major incidents, including Ricardo Feller’s early crash in the #24 Lionspeed Porsche and a fiery collision between two Cup Porsche, leaving teams with repairs, caution and uncertainty.
Weather dictates the pace
Qualifying 2 began in bleak conditions, as heavy rain left the Nürburgring soaked, cold and treacherous. Although the showers eased as the session developed, the surface stayed far too wet for any serious challenge to the times from Qualifying 1. Standing water and low temperatures made tyre warm-up difficult, so the leading cars in the top class mainly lapped in the 9m30s, while many GT3 runners were slower still. That kept Maro Engel’s 8:14.957 benchmark safely out of reach. Porsche appeared especially comfortable in the conditions, with Klaus Bachler setting a 9:39.2 in the #44 Falken Porsche and Dorian Boccolacci following closely with a 9:39.7 in the #17 Dunlop Motorsport entry.
Incidents interrupt the rhythm
The difficult conditions quickly created problems further down the field. A Toyota GR Supra from the GT4 class struck trouble at Klostertal, while the #904 Cup Porsche stopped with a technical issue, and the #569 BMW 328i also briefly came to a halt. The strangest incident involved the popular #300 Dacia Logan, which stopped at the Karussell facing the wrong way and triggered double yellow flags as traffic picked its way around the scene. It later crept back towards the racing line, caused a small queue, stalled once more and only resumed once the engine fired back into life.
At the front, the top-class contenders stayed cautious, with Lucas Auer handling the #3 Winward Mercedes-AMG while Verstappen remained in the garage during the early phase.
Stolz spins as teams learn in the rain during Qualifying 2 at the 24h Nürburgring
Luca Stolz had a brief scare in the #80 Winward Mercedes after the car had already set the day’s benchmark in first qualifying with Engel, Stolz, Schiller and Martin. Stolz lost control and spun in the wet, but he avoided the barriers and kept the car intact. With rain still shaping the session, outright lap times took a back seat as teams focused instead on mileage, balance and driver feel. Many crews used the difficult conditions to rotate their line-ups and collect useful data, with Jules Gounon climbing into the Verstappen car and Thomas Preining taking over from Kévin Estre in the #911 Manthey Porsche. The track offered little grip, but it still gave teams a valuable chance to learn.
Rain freezes the order as Boccolacci hits trouble
Heavy rain continued to control Qualifying 2 and left the field with little chance of improving the combined times. With roughly two and a half hours still to run, the leaderboard remained locked in place. The #80 Winward Mercedes stayed on top with its earlier 8:14.957, ahead of the #1 ROWE Racing BMW, the #3 Winward Verstappen Racing Mercedes, the sister ROWE BMW and the #911 Manthey Porsche. In those conditions, outright speed was almost irrelevant, and staying out of trouble mattered just as much as setting a lap time.
Dorian Boccolacci proved that point at Galgenkopf when he lost the rear of the #17 Dunlop Porsche and brushed the left-side barrier. He managed to return to the pits, but the car carried clear signs of contact. The damage did not appear severe, though it still gave the crew extra work on a night when small errors could easily become bigger problems.
Dunlop Porsche gets away lightly as darkness closes in
Dunlop Motorsport avoided a major repair job after the #17 Porsche returned from its Galgenkopf moment. First checks brought relief for the crew, as the impact had caused only light damage to the splitter and one wheel rim. That meant a quick turnaround rather than a lengthy rebuild for Boccolacci, Julien Andlauer, Nico Menzel and Alessio Picariello.
Qualifying 2 then moved deeper into the evening as official sunset arrived at 21:11. There was no dramatic glow over the Nürburgring, only grey cloud, rain and fading light. Some sections had already felt gloomy long before sunset, but the circuit was now becoming darker still, with visibility dropping and the soaked surface demanding even more caution.
Order stays stable as Code 60 penalties arrive
The first hour of Qualifying 2 passed without any change at the sharp end. The #80 Winward Mercedes of Engel, Stolz, Schiller and Martin still led, with the #1 ROWE Racing BMW of Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, Jordan Pepper and Kelvin van der Linde holding second. The #3 Mercedes shared by Verstappen, Auer, Gounon and Juncadella remained third, so the main leaderboard stayed exactly as it had been before the rain-affected running.
While improvements remained unlikely, race control still had business to handle. The #40 BMW E89 Z4 of Posavac, Funke, Strycek and Carmona Chavez and the #941 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport of Rziczny, van der Snel, van der Snel and Erlbacher each received a 45-second pit stop penalty to be served after the opening lap on Saturday for speeding in a Code 60 zone. In these conditions, discipline under caution mattered just as much as pace, and both crews now carried an early race handicap.
Van der Linde raises the Qualifying 2 of the 24h Nürburgring pace before heavy rain returns
The circuit briefly moved back towards faster running as parts of the Nürburgring began to dry, and lap times improved sharply once light rain no longer looked like the main factor. Kelvin van der Linde took advantage in the #1 ROWE Racing BMW, last year’s winning car, and set a new Q2 benchmark with a 9:19.884. Even that remained more than a minute away from the afternoon pace, showing how far the track still was from ideal conditions.
The improvement did not last, as heavy rain then hit the section from Schwedenkreuz to Adenauer Forst and created a mixed, awkward lap with drier areas in some places and much wetter asphalt elsewhere. The #81 BMW M3 Touring 24h kept its evening clean, with Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor de Philippi and Neil Verhagen reporting no incidents, while the SP-X entry continued to lap close to GT3 pace. Race control also added another Code 60 penalty, with the #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Tilley, Hill, Patrick and Hofer receiving a 45-second stop after the first lap on Saturday for breaching the speed limit.
Combined order stays fixed as darkness took over
Two hours into the evening session, the combined qualifying order still had not changed. The conditions gave the field little chance to challenge the earlier times, so the #80 Winward Mercedes remained on top with its 8:14.957. ROWE Racing held second with the #1 BMW, while the #3 Winward Verstappen Racing Mercedes stayed third ahead of the sister ROWE BMW, the #911 Manthey Porsche and the Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini. With 90 minutes still left to run, the leaderboard looked increasingly tied to the drier pace from earlier in the day.
The night phase had fully arrived by then, and the Nürburgring looked even more unforgiving. Rain continued to move around the circuit, making visibility worse in the dark and leaving drivers to deal with changing grip from corner to corner. One notable absence came from the #3 Mercedes, shared by Verstappen, Gounon, Juncadella and Auer, which remained in the pits for a long spell and paused its evening programme just as the conditions became more valuable for wet night running.
GT3 field holds back as Verstappen prepares to join Qualifying 2 at the 24h Nürburgring
The top GT3 runners showed little appetite for risk as the session moved deeper into the dark and wet. That made sense, as this part of qualifying offered limited reward but plenty of danger. With the combined order unlikely to change, most teams chose caution over mileage and kept their cars away from unnecessary trouble. The #911 Manthey Porsche of Estre, Güven, Preining and Campbell stood out as the main Pro GT3 still circulating, partly because Campbell needed to complete his mandatory laps.
That quiet spell looked set to change when Verstappen prepared for his first run of the session in the #3 Mercedes. His team-mates had already completed their evening mileage, while Verstappen had yet to sample the conditions from the cockpit. The timing looked demanding but useful, with rain, darkness and low grip turning the Nürburgring into a proper test, although the Dutch driver only entered the car before it was pushed back into the garage.
Code 60 penalties add early race trouble
Race control stayed busy while the circuit itself remained quiet. The #317 Audi TTs of Haugg, Waschkau, Jung and Vleugels received a 30-second pit stop penalty for speeding in a Code 60 zone, to be served after the first lap on Saturday, while the #55 Porsche of Beretta, Ghiretti, Sturm and Hartog picked up the same punishment for the same offence. Earlier, the #18 Porsche of Tilley, Hill, Patrick and Hofer, the #40 BMW Z4, and the #941 Porsche Cayman had already been handed 45-second stops after similar breaches. Those penalties may matter once the race begins, even if the track itself offered little late-session drama.
Final hour of Qualifying 2 at the 24h Nürburgring begins with little appetite for risk
The final hour of the day began with most teams showing little desire to head back out. Darkness, rain, patches of fog and a heavy shower around Schwedenkreuz had left standing water behind, making proper lap times impossible. With little chance of improving the combined order, teams had few reasons to take major risks. Most cars only completed installation laps on the Grand Prix circuit, while just six GT3 cars were running on the full course.
The #1 ROWE Racing BMW used the lull to its advantage, as the crew worked on its headlights and prepared the defending winner for proper night running. That kind of detail mattered more than lap time in a session where visibility kept getting worse. There was also a small interruption on the Nordschleife when the #651 BMW M240i Racing Cup of Wambach, Silva, Huang and Shao stopped near post 82 at Flugplatz, between Flugplatz and Schwedenkreuz, with Kevin Wambach at the wheel. That triggered double yellows and added another issue to a slow, messy night session.
The #67 HRT Ford Mustang also remained absent from the night running, as the team continued a larger repair after Christopher Mies had stopped at Schwedenkreuz in first qualifying.
Fog threatens the final hour
Official reports confirmed that fog had started to form in several parts of the Nordschleife, adding another concern to an already difficult night. With about one hour still left, it was no longer just a question of pace, but whether the running could continue safely to the finish. Time improvements were out of reach, as the dark, wet circuit offered too little grip and too much risk.
A few major cars still ventured out despite the conditions. The top three in the overall order were on track, including both Winward Mercedes entries and the #1 ROWE Racing BMW. That also meant Verstappen finally had mileage in the #3 Mercedes, while many other SP9 cars stayed parked in the pits. Only a handful of top-class entries continued to run, underlining how little reward remained in pushing at that stage of the evening.
Dunlop Porsche stops as the hailstorm shifts east
Many teams had already called time on the day as fog, rain, darkness and hail made the Nordschleife increasingly difficult. The #17 Dunlop Porsche then hit fresh trouble, as Alessio Picariello was running without headlights before he stopped the 911 GT3 R in the Fuchsröhre.
The hail shower slowly moved east and changed the circuit again. Sections that had been partly dry half an hour earlier were now flooded, especially Hohe Acht, Wippermann, Eschbach, Brünnchen, Pflanzgarten and Schwalbenschwanz. At the same time, the Grand Prix circuit and the early parts of the Nordschleife began to improve. The #1 ROWE Racing BMW returned to the pits, but Engel and Verstappen kept going in the two Winward Mercedes, collecting useful wet-weather mileage through the standing water while much of the field stayed parked.
HRT Mustang returns as Verstappen ends his night run at Qualifying 2 at the 2026 24h Nürburgring
The #67 HRT Ford Mustang returned to the track after its long repair, giving the team at least a wet shake-down before the end of the day. Frederik Vervisch took the Mustang back out, while Max Verstappen returned to the pits in the #3 Winward Mercedes after completing one night lap on the Nordschleife and choosing not to attempt another in the worsening conditions.
Picariello brought the #17 Dunlop Porsche back towards the safety of the pits, while ROWE Racing used the weather to prepare for possible night showers during the race, sending Raffaele Marciello out in the #1 BMW. Only a handful of GT3 cars were still circulating, including the #47 KCMG Mercedes, the #11 Schnitzelalm Mercedes, the #86 High Class Porsche, the #71 Juta Audi and the #34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin. Volker Strycek was also still pushing on in the #40 Posavac BMW Z4.
Campbell clears his backup role as Dacia takes a hit
The #300 Dacia Logan of Kriese, Geilfus, Neumann and Becker will start Saturday’s race five places further back on the grid. The penalty came after Christian Geilfus made an unsafe turning manoeuvre during Qualifying 2 at the 2026 24h Nürburgring and impeded rival cars. The stewards reviewed the incident and handed the team a grid-place penalty, leaving the Dacia with extra ground to make up when the race begins.
While Dacia lost ground, Campbell ticked off an important formality for Manthey. Every driver must complete two qualifying laps to be eligible for the race, so the reserve driver had to brave the soaked Nordschleife and complete a lap on the edge of aquaplaning. Campbell is not scheduled as a regular race driver, but he now has the required mileage and can jump in if Manthey needs him.
ABT Sportsline sends the Lamborghinis back into the rain
ABT Sportsline used the easing conditions to gather more wet-weather data and sent both Lamborghini Huracán back out of the pits. Schnabl Engineering also showed fresh confidence, as the #17 Dunlop Porsche of Picariello, Boccolacci, Menzel and Andlauer returned to the track soon after its earlier issue, although the matter was not closed. Team principal Sven Schnabl was called to race director Walter Hornung, suggesting the earlier lighting fault could still bring further consequences. Manthey’s Grello also joined the traffic as the shower moved east and the Nordschleife became a little more drivable again.
The #86 High Class Porsche of Li, Fjordbach, Ye and Harry then received the black flag, and the reason soon caused surprise. Harry King had an extra camera mounted to his helmet, which breached Appendix L, Chapter III, Article 4 of the International Sporting Code. King, therefore, had to report to race control with his helmet. The decision also raised questions over consistency, as Alexander Hardt had appeared to run a helmet camera during Qualifying 1 before his heavy crash, yet faced no immediate action.
Qualifying 2 at the 2026 24h Nürburgring ends with mileage, questions and little change
Qualifying 2 eventually closed without any change at the top of the combined order, as the earlier times from Qualifying 1 remained decisive. The rain, darkness, fog and standing water turned the evening into a test of judgment rather than outright speed. Some teams collected valuable wet-weather and night data, while others protected their cars and waited for better conditions. Winward therefore kept the provisional advantage with the #80 Mercedes-AMG, but the session left plenty of stories unresolved, from penalties and repairs to the black flag for the #86 Porsche. With Saturday’s race still ahead, the Nürburgring had already reminded the field how quickly the weekend could turn.
