Overview
- Verstappen’s Winward Mercedes, which set the third‑fastest lap Thursday, found one of the few clear windows before rain and then hail swept parts of the circuit.
- The first qualifying was repeatedly disrupted by crashes, a car fire, oil on track and Code‑60 slow zones on the 25.378 km Nordschleife‑GP layout.
- A near‑miss unfolded when Alexander Hardt stayed near his burning Porsche and Janina Schall arrived unsighted; stewards later fined Hardt €300, issued no penalty to Schall, and the WS “Girls Only” Porsche was withdrawn with a cracked chassis.
- Organisers expect a record crowd of more than 300,000 for a field of 161 starters with over 40 GT3 cars, underscoring the event’s scale and pull beyond core endurance fans.
- Next up is the three‑stage Top‑Qualifying on Friday, while Thursday night running is mandatory for driver sign‑off; the race airs live on Nitro with Q1 and Q2 streamed on RTL+ and the official 24h Nürburgring YouTube.