Overview
- Team Verstappen’s No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 logged an 8:18.539 in Thursday’s first qualifying, placing third behind Fabian Schiller’s No. 80 Mercedes and the defending Rowe BMW of Raffaele Marciello.
- Qualifying 1 was disrupted by a serious scare when Alexander Hardt’s Porsche caught fire and was then struck by Janina Schall’s car, with both drivers reported unhurt after the hit at the Schumacher S.
- Race director Walter Hornung stepped in to curb a photographer scrum at the drivers’ briefing, and organisers advised Max Verstappen to skip the pre‑race parade for safety reasons.
- Friday’s Top Qualifying sessions will set the GT3 front of the grid, following Thursday’s practice-style runs, with the 24-hour race due to start on Saturday, May 16.
- The event is sold out for the first time, with free live coverage on the official Nürburgring YouTube channel and Red Bull TV, and a large multi-class field expected to exceed 150 cars on the Nordschleife‑GP layout.