The Nürburgring 24 Hours uses a qualifying format made up of standard timed Qualifying sessions, race eligibility requirements, Pre-Qualification, and a separate Top Qualifying process for selected front-running classes.
The format reflects the structure of the event. The race is held on the combined Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife layout, with a large multi-class field. Cars from different categories share the same circuit, creating significant differences in lap time, traffic, and closing speed.
As a result, Qualifying serves several functions. It helps set the starting order, confirms driver and car eligibility, gives teams track time in different conditions, and determines which cars take part in the final fight for pole position.
Why the Nürburgring 24 Hours uses several Qualifying sessions
The Nürburgring 24 Hours splits Qualifying into multiple parts. Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2, and Qualifying 3 are standard timed sessions used by the wider field to set lap times, complete required driver mileage, and establish starting positions.
These sessions also provide teams with running in different conditions. Qualifying 1 takes place during the day, while Qualifying 2 runs into the night. Qualifying 3 then gives eligible cars outside the Top Qualifying process one final opportunity to improve their positions.
For selected top-class cars, the front of the grid is decided through Top Qualifying. This process is separate from the standard Qualifying sessions and determines the leading starting positions, including pole position.
Pre-Qualification: How cars can secure a place in Top Qualifying 3 early
Before the race weekend starts, six cars can secure places in Top Qualifying 3 through Pre-Qualification. Top Qualifying 3 has a maximum of 12 places available, so up to half of the final shootout field can be confirmed before the main Nürburgring 24 Hours weekend.
These Pre-Qualification places are based on results from NLS 1, NLS 2, NLS 3, and the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers.
In the NLS races, one Top Qualifying 3 place is awarded to the fastest car overall across all Qualifying sessions. Two further places are awarded using race performance. For those positions, eligible sector times from the races are combined to calculate theoretical best-lap times, provided the sector times meet the requirements stated in the regulations.
The ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers also provide places in Top Qualifying 3. One place goes to the team with the fastest lap time across Qualifying and Top Qualifying sessions. Another place is awarded to the car with the theoretical fastest lap time across the two races held during the Qualifiers weekend.
Race eligibility and driver lap requirements
Qualifying also determines whether cars and drivers are eligible to start the race.
Each driver entered in a car must complete at least two timed laps across Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2, or Qualifying 3. This applies to every driver individually. If a driver is entered in more than one car, they must complete the requirement in each entry.
Each car must also meet a minimum performance requirement. To qualify for the race, a car must set a lap time within 120 percent of the fastest time recorded in its class.
Race control can grant exceptions in specific circumstances, but the 120 percent benchmark is the main standard used to confirm race eligibility.
Qualifying 1: Thursday’s opening session
Thursday 14 May — 13:15 to 15:15 local time
Qualifying 1 opens the competitive running for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The two-hour session allows the full field to head out on track and begin setting times across the combined Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife layout.
For many teams, this session acts as the first major chance to check balance, assess tyre behaviour, understand traffic, and give each driver valuable mileage. With more than 160 cars sharing the circuit, clean laps rarely come easily, so teams must plan carefully and react quickly to changing track conditions.
For cars outside the Top Qualifying categories, Qualifying 1 also plays a direct role in deciding the starting order. Their best times across the standard Qualifying sessions help determine where they will line up for the race.
For the fastest classes, including the GT3 contenders, Qualifying 1 has a slightly different function. Their fight for the leading grid positions comes later in Top Qualifying, so Thursday afternoon mainly gives them a chance to prepare, gather data, and build rhythm.
Qualifying 2: Running into the night
Thursday 14 May — 20:00 to 23:30 local time
Qualifying 2 gives teams one of the most important preparation windows of the weekend. The three-and-a-half-hour session runs into darkness, making it vital for drivers who need night-time laps before the 24-hour race begins.
The Nürburgring changes character after sunset. Visibility drops, reference points disappear, and traffic becomes harder to judge. Therefore, Qualifying 2 does more than offer another chance to set a lap time. It helps drivers adapt to the conditions they will face during the race itself.
Teams use this session to complete required running, evaluate lights, check visibility, refine setup, and practise overtaking slower cars in the dark. In a race where night stints often create mistakes, delays, and major time losses, this session can prove just as important as the headline shootouts.
Again, the lower classes can use Qualifying 2 to improve their grid positions. Meanwhile, the leading Top Qualifying cars focus mainly on preparation before Friday’s knockout format.
Friday brings the decisive Qualifying stages
After Thursday’s longer sessions, Friday shifts the focus from preparation to progression. The fastest eligible cars move into Top Qualifying, while the wider field receives one final standard Qualifying opportunity through Qualifying 3.
That creates two parallel stories. At the front, GT3 and other eligible top-class cars chase pole position. Further back, the rest of the grid continues to fight for starting position through the standard Qualifying system.
Top Qualifying 1: The first knockout stage
Friday 15 May — 10:15 to 10:45 local time
Top Qualifying 1 begins the knockout process for the leading categories. Eligible cars that have not already secured a direct place in the final shootout must take part in this session.
The goal is simple: finish inside the top 20 and progress to Top Qualifying 2.
That creates immediate pressure. Drivers must attack quickly, but they also need to avoid mistakes on a circuit where one small error can cost an entire lap. Traffic, tyre warm-up, and track evolution all matter, even in a session reserved for the faster entries.
Pre-qualified cars may run in this phase, but they do not need to do so. Their direct place in the final shootout remains protected.
Top Qualifying 2: The final route into the shootout
Friday 15 May — 11:05 to 11:35 local time
Top Qualifying 2 narrows the field again. The 20 cars that advance from Top Qualifying 1 return to the circuit and fight for the remaining places in Top Qualifying 3.
This session raises the pressure significantly. Teams can no longer treat the running as preparation; they must deliver a lap good enough to reach the pole-position shootout.
The fastest cars from Top Qualifying 2 join the pre-qualified entries in Top Qualifying 3. Together, they form the final 12-car field that decides the front of the grid.
Qualifying 3: The final chance for the wider field
Friday 15 May — 12:00 to 13:05 local time
Qualifying 3 gives the cars outside the Top Qualifying battle one final chance to improve their starting positions.
Top Qualifying entries are excluded from this session, which helps prevent the fastest cars from interfering with lower-class teams still trying to settle their grid order. That separation gives the rest of the field a cleaner and fairer opportunity to set representative lap times.
For teams not involved in the pole fight, Qualifying 3 can still carry major importance. A strong lap can improve track position, reduce early-race traffic problems, and give drivers a better platform for the opening hours.
Top Qualifying 3: The pole-position shootout
Friday 15 May — 13:35 to 14:35 local time
Top Qualifying 3 delivers the climax of the format. A maximum of 12 cars take part in the final shootout for pole position.
The field includes the cars that progressed through Top Qualifying 1 and Top Qualifying 2, plus the entries that secured direct places through pre-qualification. This creates a focused battle between the fastest cars of the weekend.
Drivers receive a clearer track than they would in normal qualifying, with gaps between cars designed to reduce the chance of traffic ruining a lap. However, the Nürburgring never removes risk completely. Weather can change quickly, grip can vary from sector to sector, and one mistake on the Nordschleife can ruin the lap instantly.
The fastest car in Top Qualifying 3 claims pole position for the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
How the final grid comes together
Once Qualifying ends, organisers build the grid in layers. Top Qualifying 3 decides the very front. After that, the order follows the results from Top Qualifying 2 and Top Qualifying 1 for cars that reached those stages but missed the final shootout.
Further back, the standard Qualifying sessions decide the positions for the rest of the field. This system rewards progression through the Top Qualifying process while still giving every class a meaningful route to the grid.
Full Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying schedule
Thursday 14 May
13:15 – 15:15 — Qualifying 1
20:00 – 23:30 — Qualifying 2
Friday 15 May
10:15 – 10:45 — Top Qualifying 1
11:05 – 11:35 — Top Qualifying 2
12:00 – 13:05 — Qualifying 3, excluding Top Qualifying entries
13:35 – 14:35 — Top Qualifying 3
Why the format suits the Nürburgring
The Nürburgring 24 Hours needs a different qualifying system because it is not a normal circuit race. The field size, class variety, lap length, traffic, and weather all create challenges that a simple qualifying session could not solve.
Instead, the event blends endurance preparation with knockout drama. Thursday gives teams mileage and rhythm. Friday brings jeopardy. Top Qualifying 1 and Top Qualifying 2 create pressure, while Top Qualifying 3 gives fans a direct pole-position battle between the fastest cars in the field.
It may look complicated at first, but once the structure becomes clear, the logic makes sense. The Nürburgring 24 Hours uses qualifying not only to decide where cars start, but also to test who can handle speed, traffic, darkness, and pressure before one of the toughest races in motorsport even begins.
