ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring Preview: Max Verstappen 'effect' packs out Nordchleife this weekend

The festival week has already begun in the Eifel, with first come, first served campsites opening on Monday morning and fans setting up around the Nürburgring ahead of one of endurance racing’s biggest events.

Advance ticket sales have been so strong that all multi day tickets for the 24h Nürburgring are sold out. Only 1 day tickets for Thursday, Friday and Sunday remain available, with organisers warning fans without a Saturday valid ticket not to travel to the circuit hoping to enter.

The biggest sporting headline is Max Verstappen’s first appearance at the 24h Nürburgring. The Formula 1 world champion will drive the Mercedes AMG Team Verstappen Racing GT3 alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella.

His debut this weekend has brought global attention to the race, but the scale of the field is just as significant. With 161 cars entered, the 2026 edition is expected to feature the largest Nürburgring 24 Hours grid in more than 10 years.

The SP9 class features Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG and Porsche, creating a 9 manufacturer GT3 battle for overall victory.

The favourites include defending winners Rowe Racing with BMW, Manthey with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, Scherer PHX with Audi, Abt with Lamborghini, the Mercedes AMG contenders and HRT with the Ford Mustang GT3.

The race also forms part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, adding further international strength to an already deep field.

Friday’s new three stage Top Qualifying format will provide the first major indication of the competitive order, with the fastest teams fighting through to the final shootout for pole position.

Beyond the overall victory fight, the Nürburgring 24 Hours remains defined by multi class racing across the 25.378 kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit.

GT4 cars, Cup Porsches, production based entries, privateers and factory teams will share the track across 24 hours, making traffic management as important as outright speed.

The fan programme begins on Wednesday with Adenauer Racing Day, followed by RCN action, 2 Touring Car Legends races and the German Historic Endurance Championship.

NITRO will broadcast the race live on free to air TV, while the official 24h Nürburgring website will carry live streaming, in car views, live timing and ticker coverage.

The race starts on Saturday, 16 May, at 15:00.

13.15-15.15 Qualifying 1

20.00to 23.30 Qualifying 2

10.15-10.45 Top Qualifying 1

11.05-11.35 Top Qualifying 2

12.00-13.05 Qualifying 3

13.35-14.35 Top Qualifying 3

10.00-11.00 Warm-up

14.40-15.00 Formation lap 15.00 Race start

Sunday 17 May

15.00 Race finish