Max Verstappen Secures Pole Position for NLS2 Race at Nordschleife
Max Verstappen secured pole position for the NLS2 event at the Nordschleife in commanding fashion. He set a 7:51.751 lap in the #3 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
How the lap unfolded
The session featured long neutralisations and short green windows. Verstappen took advantage of a 20-minute clear run to post his time.
He later said traffic luck and timing made the lap possible. The Dutch driver added the car felt well balanced.
Session disruptions and timing
An early crash at the Hohenrain-Schikane forced 45 minutes of barrier repairs. Two separate incidents at Aremberg and Hohe Acht then halted late running.
Those incidents came eight minutes before the end. Several teams lost a chance to improve their grid positions as a result.
Notable victims of the chaos
Big-name entries ran out of opportunity in the final minutes. The #64 HRT Ford qualified 20th, the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche 22nd, and the #17 Dunlop Porsche 24th.
The #17 entry changed to Dunlop tyres and colours for 2026. That followed Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ takeover of the Dunlop brand.
Margin and context
Christopher Haase took second in the #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi. He trailed Verstappen by 1.974 seconds.
On a typical five-kilometre circuit, that gap would equal roughly half a second. Verstappen’s team mates are Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon.
Top 10 qualifying — NLS2
| Position | Team / Car | Drivers | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winward-Mercedes #3 | Verstappen / Juncadella / Gounon | 7:51.751 |
| 2 | Scherer-Phx-Audi #16 | Haase / Hantke | +1.974 |
| 3 | Rowe-BMW #98 | Farfus / Marciello / van der Linde | +2.855 |
| 4 | Walkenhorst-Aston-Martin #34 | Krognes / Drudi | +3.503 |
| 5 | Winward-Mercedes #80 | Schiller / Martin | +3.914 |
| 6 | KCMG-Mercedes #47 | Fukuzumi / Krohn / Pittard / Tsuboi | +4.070 |
| 7 | Rowe-BMW #99 | Harper / Pepper | +4.905 |
| 8 | Kondo-Ferrari #45 | Perel / Vermeulen / Neubauer | +5.061 |
| 9 | HRT-Ford #65 | Haupt / Schumacher / Stippler | +5.664 |
| 10 | Falken-Porsche #44 | Muller / Heinemann | +5.770 |
Driver reflections
Verstappen noted the session required good timing to avoid slow zones. He said practice for GT-style driver changes remains a priority.
He described the session as useful for the team. The run doubled as a practical test for pit-stop routines.
Filmogaz.com wants to hear reader feedback on future coverage. Share your suggestions with our editorial team.
